The Historically Black University That Was Told Not To Use the Word "Black" During BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

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A Florida A&M University College of Law student said she was told to strip the word “Black” from promotional materials for a Black History Month event — a move she called censorship at a Historically Black College and University.

Aaliyah Steward, a final-year law student who helps run the Black Law Students Association, told ClickOrlando that during the office approval process, campus staff flagged language including “Black,” “affirmative action,” and “women,” forcing organizers to abbreviate or rework copy. “We couldn’t use the word ‘Black’ in Black History Month. We would have to abbreviate it,” Steward said, calling the direction “insane” given FAMU’s HBCU status. 

FAMU is pushing back on earlier reports that promotional materials for a College of Law Black History Month event were censored — saying the controversy stems from a staff-level mistake that has been corrected.

In a statement sent to BET, FAMU President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., affirmed the university’s identity and mission: “As the state’s only public Historically Black University, the word ‘Black’ is central to the mission and identity of Florida A&M University.” Johnson added that the university “unequivocally confirms that the use of the word ‘Black,’ or the phrase ‘Black History Month,’ does not violate the letter, spirit, or intent of Florida Senate Bill 266, Board of Governors Regulation 9.016, or any relevant federal guidance.”

The statement said FAMU’s Black History Month programming is proceeding with full institutional support and listed events already underway, including a new exhibit at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives and the Harambee Festival on Feb. 28.

The sharper operational response came from Cecil Howard, Associate Provost and Interim Dean of the College of Law, who emailed students and reporters to clarify the situation. Howard said that after News 6 Orlando reported that certain words had been flagged, he met directly with the students involved “to provide clarification and to state unequivocally: the word ‘Black’ is not prohibited. No such restriction exists, and none has been directed by university leadership.”

Howard explained the issue was “a staff-level error—an overly cautious interpretation that went beyond what the law requires,” and that the university immediately engaged a Florida higher-education law expert who confirmed that neither state law nor Board of Governors rules ban use of the word “Black” or the phrase “Black History Month.” He added, “I fully concur with this expert legal opinion.”

To prevent a repeat, the College of Law has implemented several steps: an enhanced review process for student promotional materials, a standardized escalation protocol, a secondary review mechanism, and alignment of the law college’s communications review with main-campus practices. Pending full rollout, Howard says he will assume final review and approval authority for event communications. He also reminded students that the university’s grievance process is available if they believe policies are misapplied.

The original concern — voiced by student organizers who said reviewers flagged phrases such as “Black,” “women,” and “affirmative action” — sparked alarm on an HBCU campus and prompted broader debate about how public universities interpret rules around state funding and DEI. FAMU’s latest statements say that interpretation, not law, triggered the confusion and that steps are now in place to clarify policy and protect student expression.

So in the mad scramble to appease the anti-DEI sentiment that's been coming from the Trump Administration, some colleges and universities have...gotten ahead of themselves. If this happened at an HBCU, imagine what's going on in higher ed spaces where there are aren't people speaking out (or if they are, they are being silenced for speaking out).