FORSYTH COUNTY N.C. – The Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board of Education has voted against the proposed mandatory African American history class.
- The vote was 7-1, against the class.
- Twenty-eight speakers and one council member all spoke in favor of the class.
- The district already has an “infusion program” that includes African American studies.
On Tuesday night, council members voted on a proposed mandatory African American history class. In the end, the vote was 7-1 against the class.
During the four hour meeting, 28 people signed up to speak and all 28 spoke in favor of the class, including one city council person.
Once the proposal was shot down, neighbors began to walk out of the meeting.
“We teach British Literature in 12th grade. How many people in our classrooms at North Forsyth are of British descent? Zero. For us not to accept the fact that our students deserve to learn about themselves for at least one credit when they get it in four other credits, to me it’s just not right,” Gary Robinson, a teacher at North Forsyth High School said.
The seven board members who rejected the proposal say they needed more time and more data.
Instead, the board unanimously approved an “infusion program” which would include African-American studies.
The sole board member to vote in favor argued that the district already has an infusion program and this is just a vote to enhance it.
NOTE: Spectrum News caught up with the group Hate Out of Winston to get an update on their efforts to make these classes mandatory in the district. Read the story here.