Florida A&M University officials acknowledged that an employee wrongly told a law student to remove the word "Black" from a flyer advertising Black History Month events, calling it an overzealous misinterpretation of Florida's restrictions on diversity programs.
Law student Aaliyah Steward was instructed last week to strip "Black," "affirmative action" and "women" from promotional materials for her Black Law Student Association event, she told an Orlando television station. The directive forced her to postpone the program until the end of February.
Cecil Howard, associate provost and interim dean of FAMU's College of Law, called the guidance a "staff-level error — an overly cautious interpretation that went beyond what the law requires" in a message to the law school community.
FAMU President Marva Johnson consulted a higher education law expert, who confirmed Florida law contains no prohibition on the word "Black," Howard said. The state statute bars public universities from spending state funds on diversity, equity and inclusion programs but does not restrict specific words or student-led organization activities, he added.
"These provisions address the expenditure of state and federal funds on programs that advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion as specifically defined," Howard wrote. "They do not prohibit the use of any word — not 'Black,' not 'women,' not 'affirmative action.' The regulation explicitly protects the speech and expressive activity of student-led organizations."
Howard said he has met with the law school's communications team to revise review procedures and will personally oversee final approval of event materials going forward. The college will align its processes with main campus protocols.
"Florida A&M University is the state's only public Historically Black University," Howard said. "The word 'Black' is central to our mission. Compliance with state law will never require us to erase our identity — and this administration will not allow it."
Steward welcomed the clarification but said it was "unfortunate" that media attention was required to prompt a response. She said administrators "virtually ignored" her inquiries about the flyer's status.
She added this was not an isolated incident, noting that the Federalist Society also had been required to remove "affirmative action" from promotional materials.
