Florida school officals want to teach young students that slavey was somehow ‘beneficial’ to Black Americans enslaved….
Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday rebuked the Florida Board of Education’s new standards for how Black history will be taught in schools, calling it an effort by extremist leaders to spread propaganda.
Speaking in Jacksonville, Harris said the recently approved curriculum, which suggests some slaves reaped benefits from the skills they acquired during forced labor, was based on a policy intent on misleading children.
“They want to replace history with lies,” Harris said. “These extremist, so-called leaders should model what we know to be the correct and right approach if we really are invested in the well being of our children. Instead, they dare to push propaganda to our children. This is the United States of America. We’re not supposed to do that.”
The Florida Board of Education approved new standards Wednesday in a 216-page document detailing how public schools should approach Black history, including teaching students that some enslaved people acquired useful skills that could be used for their “personal benefit.”
“How is it that anyone could suggest that in the midst of these atrocities that there was any benefit to being subjected to this level of dehumanization?” Harris said….
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The White House official said “traveling to Jacksonville was about calling out what is happening in clear terms — in Florida and across the country; underscoring that this was not just about Black history, but about preserving American history; about showing up and fighting back; and, reminding parents, teachers, students, and the people of Florida that they are not fighting alone.”
The speaking program for Friday’s event was intended to feature “remarks from faith leaders, elected officials, parents, and teachers, all of different races and backgrounds who were concerned with the new stands for how Black history would be taught in Florida,” the official added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who earlier this year blocked an advanced placement African American studies course from being taught to high schoolers in his state, blasted Harris’ visit in a statement on Twitter….
DeSantis plows on in supporting the new Florida views for kids….
DeSantis, a GOP presidential candidate who is lagging in polls against the front-runner, former president Donald Trump, and is trying to reset his campaign, quickly drew criticism from educators and even some in his party. He has built his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on attacking what he calls the radical liberal policies of President Biden and the Democratic Party, but the latest remarks could alienate Black voters just as the GOP tries to court them….
image…Manden Ngan/AFP via Getty