FAMU President Marva Johnson said using the word “Black” does not violate anti-DEI state laws.
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Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a historically black institution, said it wrongly objected to its Black Law Students Association’s use of the word “Negro” in a Black History Month flyer.
Law student Aaliyah Steward told Orlando News 6 she heard “we can’t use the word ‘Black’ during Black History Month; we need to abbreviate it.” The newscast then played a flyer that fit the bill, with the abbreviation “BHM.”
News 6 broke the story on Friday after reporting that artist SZA and others took to social media to denounce the censorship. Cecil Howard, interim dean of the FAMU School of Law, sent an email to the college community this week stating that “the word ‘Negro’ is not prohibited” and that “university leadership has not directed such restrictions.” Inside higher education.
Howard wrote that the university “quickly hired a Florida higher education law expert” who confirmed that the term did not violate Florida Senate Bill 266. The bill, enacted in 2023, prohibits public colleges and universities from using state or federal funds for activities that “advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or promote or engage in political or social activism.”
“What happened was a staff-level error — an overly cautious interpretation that went beyond what the law requires,” Howard wrote.
University President and law professor Marva Johnson, who has longstanding ties to anti-DEI crusader Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, also issued a statement saying FAMU “unequivocally acknowledges that use of the term ‘Negro’ or the term ‘Black History Month’ does not violate the letter, spirit or intent of Florida Senate Bill 266, Board of Governors Regulation 9.016. [titled ‘Prohibited Expenditures’]or any relevant federal guidance. “
