Ron DeSantis’s ‘Anti-Racist’ Mandate Leads University to Scrub Websites

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is complying with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s law prohibiting schools from accusing people of racism.

In the spring, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the “Stop WOKE Act,” which took effect on July 1 and laid out the restrictions of how race is taught in schools. It includes barring instruction that claims an individual’s “moral character or status as either privileged or oppressed is determined by his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.”

In its reporting of the development, the Associated Press (AP) noted that some critics are outraged that the content has been removed:

In an email, UCF spokesperson Chad Binette said the school recently removed departmental statements that could be seen as “potentially inconsistent with our commitment to creating a welcoming environment — one where faculty objectively engage students in robust, scholarly discussions that expand their knowledge and empower them to freely express their views and form their own perspectives.”

“UCF is committed to building a culture that values respect, civil discourse, and creating a sense of belonging,” said Binette, the school’s assistant vice president of communications.

“This is a complete infringement of academic freedom,” Ann Gleig, a religious studies professor at UCF, said. “The statement was crafted over a period of time with dialogue and input across a person plus faculty trained in philosophy, religion and cultural studies and the humanities.”

“The DeSantis regime has made the anti-racist mission of my alma mater against the law,” Democrat State Representative Carlos G. Smith, a UCF graduate, tweeted. “This is a consequence of HB 7 and the Governor’s out-of-control censorship agenda. This is not freedom.”

The AP reported that according to the Orlando Sentinel, the anthropology department’s website previously said, “We acknowledge that many of us are born with unearned privilege, while others are denied basic human rights.”