On November 16, 2022, Michelle Maldonado joined the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) in submitting a letter protesting the Governor’s proposed academic standards. The letter outlines the group’s concerns about the politicization of education in Virginia, and the use of offensive frameworks such as “identifying slave trade as a profitable business in America.”
Maldonado released a personal statement condemning the proposed standards, and urging the Virginia Board of Education to continue with a planned review process:
This evening, the members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) sent the below letter to the Virginia Board of Education ahead of their meeting tomorrow where they plan to discuss the revised draft Virginia History and Social Science standards of learning released last Friday by the Governor’s Administration.
The members of the VLBC strongly urge the Board of Education to reject these revisionist standards that were written in order to advance a political agenda. We instead urge the Board to move forward with the review process using the original August 17th draft that was thoughtfully and carefully developed by Virginia experts, stakeholders, and educators with public input.
Read the full text of the letter below.
