Vice President Kamala Harris criticised “extremists” in Florida on Friday (July 21) for endorsing educational guidelines that she believes teach “revisionist history” about slavery in the United States.
The state’s board of education recently approved new guidelines, including one for middle school students, which state that “instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Harris delivers blistering speech condemning new guidelines
In a fiery speech, Vice President Harris condemned the approved guidelines, pointing out that adults understand the true horrors of slavery, involving rape, torture, and the inhumane separation of mothers from their babies, as reported by Reuters.
She expressed outrage at any suggestion that being subjected to such dehumanisation could have benefited enslaved people in any way.
“Adults know what slavery really involved. It involved rape. It involved torture. It involved taking a baby from their mother. It involved some of the worst examples of … depriving people of humanity in our world,” she said.
Justifications for new language in the guidelines
Members of the working group that developed the new guidelines, William Allen and Frances Presley Rice, defended the inclusion of language suggesting that slaves learned specialised skills, stating that it was intended to depict them as more than just victims.
Harris labels information as false propaganda
Dismissing the justifications, Harris labelled the information as false propaganda, emphasising the importance of teaching children the truth and seeking knowledge.
“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,” she said.
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Governor DeSantis’ stance on ‘woke indoctrination’
The approval of these guidelines follows Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to combat what he calls “woke indoctrination.” DeSantis has made “wokeness” a central theme of his presidential campaign, advocating against discussions of sexuality and gender in classrooms. He accused Harris of being misleading about Florida’s educational standards.
Battle over educational standards
Harris called for teachers not to be dictated to by politicians, urging them not to teach “revisionist history.”
The ongoing conflict over educational standards and the portrayal of sensitive historical topics has sparked heated debates between Democrats and Republicans.
As President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepare to run for re-election in 2024, issues surrounding education, history, and curriculum continue to be points of contention on the national stage.
(With inputs from agencies)
