VP Kamala Harris chastised Florida Officials for approving an African-American History curriculum that aimed to mislead children on slavery, claiming it was beneficial. She referred to it as a way to spread propaganda.
Harris expressed how appalled she was on how this dehumanizing event could be beneficial to those who suffered through slavery, Gov. Ron DeSantis rebuked her for lying about the state’s standards on education – adding they’ll continue to expose their lies.
Harris recalls her school days and how she went to a school system where students were encouraged to use their critical thinking to come up with their conclusions. She urged citizens to remember their history, and not to fall under these lies.
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Ongoing Debates On The Matter
However, two members of the state’s African American History Standards workgroup and creators of the curriculum – Dr. William Allen and Dr. Frances Presley Rice expressed disappointment in the sleuth of criticisms, but cited they were unsurprised.
Both Allen and Rice commented that by reducing slaves to just victims, it ignores their strength and resilience – and how they took advantage of their circumstances to support themselves and their community. They added these criticisms were rooted without context.
The two listed examples such as Booker T. Washington and Crispus Attucks, they added that many of these African-American individuals were documented to have developed specialized trades – which are occupations reserved for knowledge and hands-on work.
Despite their statements, many officials still showed their concerns on how the curriculum was worded and afraid that it prevented students from fully understanding the history behind slavery. Some have argued it showed inaccuracies in American history.
Director of Communications Alex Lanfranconi commented that the curriculum showed the positive, negative, and ugly parts of American Black History. Still some are mixed on the matter, others continue to criticize it while others chastise those who don’t properly look into the context.
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Sources: NBC News, Florida’s Voice
