{"id":149591,"date":"2026-02-10T01:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T01:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/149591\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T01:49:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T01:49:11","slug":"famu-student-says-hbcu-axed-black-in-black-history-flyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/149591\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU Student Says HBCU Axed ‘Black’ In Black History Flyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FAMU,<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby Nahlah Abdur-Rahman <\/a><\/p>\n

February 9, 2026<\/p>\n

A FAMU Law student called the issue “insane” given the school’s status as a Historically Black institution.<\/p>\n

A Florida A&M University law student says the HBCU refused to signify the word \u201cBlack\u201d in flyers for a Black History Month event.<\/p>\n

The HBCU, like other public colleges and universities in Florida, has faced severe restrictions since the state passed anti-DEI legislation. Since then, the school has had to comply with state regulations and refrain from using any allocated funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.<\/p>\n

Given this, FAMU has opted not to promote the \u201cBlack\u201d elements of Black History Month, an issue that has sparked discord with its Black Law Students Association. While seeking approval for certain event flyers, one student leader says she faced significant pushback on words central to<\/a> Black History Month programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was \u2018Black,\u2019 \u2018affirmative action,\u2019 and \u2018women\u2019 as well,\u201d explained Aaliyah Steward, a third-year law student at FAMU\u2019s College of Law and organizer for its BLSA to News6.<\/p>\n

Steward called the matter \u201cinsane,\u201d especially given FAMU\u2019s own status as a historically Black institution. Now, she must contend with how to promote the \u201cBlack\u201d part of its Black History Month activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t use the word \u2018black\u2019 in Black History Month. We would have to abbreviate it,\u201d said Steward. \u201cI was very angry and baffled because this is a Historically Black College and University, and for them to say we can\u2019t use the word \u2018black\u2019 was kind of insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida was one of many states that not only complied with federal regulations on DEI but also promoted efforts\u00a0to limit\u00a0<\/a>DEI initiatives in public schools through legislation passed in 2024. This news extended even to its racially uplifted institutions like Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman University.<\/p>\n

However, the current regulations feel like censorship to Steward, who just wants to celebrate and recognize Black History Month as many have in previous years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t want us to be censored this way. Not being able to use the word \u2018black\u2019 is very frustrating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

FAMU, on the other hand, has released a statement on the matter. The HBCU confirmed its \u201cfull compliance\u201d and \u201csupport\u201d of the DEI-specific policies implemented by the state\u2019s Governor and Board of Governors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support and have implemented the policy direction established by the Governor, the Legislature, and the Board of Governors as it relates to DEI, and consistent with related federal court rulings,\u201d wrote the HBCU.<\/p>\n

Its statement added, \u201cFlorida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is committed to fostering a campus community that encourages the free exchange of ideas while ensuring an environment of mutual respect, safety, and awareness. The University recognizes that freedom of expression is fundamental to academic inquiry, personal development, and civic engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the school seems adamant about adhering to statewide standards, Steward is adamant about promoting the Blackness of Black History Month. She has resubmitted her flyer with no changes to its original wording, hoping the school will allow her to promote the event\u2019s initial vision of upholding diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n

As for FAMU, the school did not explain why administrators initially marked the flyer for changes.<\/p>\n

RELATED CONTENT: Celebrate 100 Years Of Black History Month With These Events\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman February 9, 2026 A FAMU Law student called the issue “insane” given the school’s status…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[72334,48241,1814,2324,72335,19789,232,234,233],"class_list":["post-149591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-anti-dei-policies","tag-black-history-month","tag-famu","tag-florida-am-university","tag-florida-dei-policies","tag-hbcus","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}