My broken taillight

The civics lesson George Floyd’s death should teach in Florida | Editorial, May 11

Gov. Ron DeSantis is attempting to erase uncomfortable history from textbooks such as the Black Lives Matter movement. What is next, eliminating the Civil Rights Movement? Institutional racism existed in the past, and knowing it still exists today, is crucial for reducing it in our time. For me, it is obvious that institutional racism exists today.

I drove with a broken taillight for a year without getting stopped once, and I read how African-American U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was stopped without reason in Washington, D.C., multiple times in the space of a couple years. Discussing this with my co-teacher during lunch one day I pointed this out and stated, “Of course, you too probably never get stopped by the police without reason.” His answer: “Mr. Stecher, you forget I am Hispanic.”

Peter Stecher, Brandon

Inconvenient truths

The civics lesson George Floyd’s death should teach in Florida | Editorial, May 11

Fact: The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 to protest killings of Black people by police.

Fact: Athletes have taken a knee during the national anthem in protest.

Fact: In 2020, George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis.

But our fragile Florida children must not learn these facts — at least not from their school textbooks. Our governor has “caught and fixed” such inconvenient truths, so that no one need feel discomfited by harsh reality. What’s coming next in Florida’s “Brave New World”?

Elizabeth Bird, Temple Terrace

Topics that matter

The civics lesson George Floyd’s death should teach in Florida | Editorial, May 11

The Florida Department of Education is rejecting more textbooks. But one person is to blame, Gov. Ron DeSantis. He is taking away certain topics that are relevant in today’s society. We are tired of hearing about how Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. We should be learning about social injustice, sexuality and politics — topics that truly matter.

A. Gary, Seminole

A bit old for this

Robert De Niro, at 79, becomes a father for 7th time | May 10

While Robert De Niro may be a stupendous father, his newborn child won’t be able to see him much longer before his deathbed. It’s pointless to reproduce once again at age 79 and unfair to not only the child but the mother as well.

Molly Follett, Seminole