Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris was quick to clap back at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after he extended an invitation for a discussion on the new African American history education standards in his state. Harris, on a visit to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, wasted no time in retorting to DeSantis’s offer.
According to reports, Harris accused Florida of intending to teach students that enslaved people actually benefited from slavery. She went on to criticize the state for attempting to gaslight and divide the nation with unnecessary debates. Harris boldly declared that there would be no acceptance of any invitation to debate the undeniable fact that there were no redeeming qualities of slavery.
As expected, DeSantis, who is running for the GOP nomination for president, stood his ground and invited Harris to Tallahassee to discuss the new standards. He maintained that Florida was unafraid to have an open and honest dialogue about the issues at hand. The governor also couldn’t help but taunt Harris, pointing out that she had no issue visiting Florida at a moment’s notice but seemed hesitant to engage in a discussion.
DeSantis had previously dismissed Harris’s criticisms as a perpetuation of a “fake narrative” about the curriculum. Harris had made comments in June claiming that middle school students in Florida would be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery. She accused the state of insulting and gaslighting the public. However, CNN analyst Scott Jennings called out Harris for distorting the reading of the teaching standards, including the fact that scholars, not DeSantis, wrote them.
Yesterday, @abcnews aired a very small section of their interview with a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup, Dr. William B. Allen.
Here’s more of the interview, where Dr. Allen debunks @VP’s narrative and calls her criticism “categorically false.”🧵 pic.twitter.com/hPFbKNZPs1
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 23, 2023
Dr. William B. Allen, a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup, also chimed in, labeling Harris’s remarks as categorically false. He clarified that it was never stated that slavery was beneficial to Africans, but rather that Africans showed resourcefulness, resilience, and adaptability during and after enslavement. It appears that Harris may have deliberately ignited this controversy for her own political gain.
On a more personal note, it is worth mentioning that Kamala Harris comes from a privileged, upper-class family in San Francisco and is even a descendant of a Jamaican slave owner. This background provides an interesting context to her adamant stance against any suggestion that enslaved people may have developed skills and aptitudes which could have benefited them. One wonders if Harris’s own family history plays a role in her hypersensitivity towards discussions on the subject.
Overall, it is clear that Harris’s responses to Governor DeSantis’s invitation only serve to advance her own political agenda. By refusing to engage in an honest dialogue about the teaching standards, Harris demonstrates a disregard for the truth and an unwillingness to consider multiple perspectives on the matter. It is unfortunate that she prioritizes political point-scoring over genuine engagement in meaningful conversations.
