Madam Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against the Florida Board of Education’s newly approved Black History standards. Harris expressed concern over the newly approved school guidelines during a speech at Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s national convention.
“Speaking of our children, extremists pass book bans to prevent them from learning our true history – book bans in this year of our Lord 2023,” said Harris. “And while they do this, check it out, they push forward revisionist history.”
The guidelines require middle schools to teach that enslaved people “developed skills” that “could be applied for their personal benefit.” Harris criticized the move as an “attempt to gaslight us” and accused those behind it of promoting revisionist history.
“Just yesterday in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery,” Harris continued. “They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it.”
New Black History Standards in School
The guidelines were approved in response to Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which mandates that race should be taught objectively and without bias. Middle school teachers are now required to cover various duties and trades performed by slaves, such as agricultural work and domestic service.
High school students are to be taught about acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans during the Reconstruction era. The 1920 Ocoee Massacre is listed as an example. The changes have drawn criticism from the Florida Education Association (FEA), a statewide teachers’ union. The FEA argued that the new standards are a step backward and that students deserve a comprehensive education on African American history to understand the nation’s past and foster unity.
“How can our students ever be equipped for the future if they don’t have a full, honest picture of where we’ve come from? Florida’s students deserve a world-class education that equips them to be successful adults who can help heal our nation’s divisions rather than deepen them,” FEA president Andrew Spar wrote in a press release.
The guidelines have sparked further debate, as elementary school students will be asked to identify famous African Americans like Rosa Parks, George Washington Carver, and Zora Neale Hurston without being provided with their histories and struggles. The FEA contended that these standards limit students’ knowledge of African American history, instead focusing solely on recognizing names.
“Evidently, in an attempt to protect students from wokeness, these new standards will make sure that, through the fourth grade, elementary school students’ knowledge of African American history doesn’t extend beyond being able to know who a famous African American is when they see them,” the press release read.
Additional Laws Reshaping Education in Florida
These new standards come after Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration rejected a new Advanced Placement course on African American history. The Administration cited concerns about its educational value and alignment with Florida law. DeSantis has been active in reshaping educational policy in the state. For instance, the “Don’t Say Gay” law banning specific LGBTQ+ topics from being discussed in public schools.
The debate surrounding the Florida guidelines reflects a broader national conversation about how history and race are taught in schools.