Vice President Kamala Harris recently traveled to Florida to falsely claim the state's new curriculum on African-America history paints slavery as "beneficial."
Disgraceful: Kamala Harris' Attack Against Florida's Slavery Curriculum Is Brazenly Dishonest https://t.co/A2fnSgmFGR
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 24, 2023
The curriculum is 216-pages long and extremely thorough, yet Harris took a single sentence completely out of context for political purposes. Now, she's being fact checked by Dr. William Allen -- a man who helped write the curriculum and a descendent of slaves.
Dr. Allen from Florida’s African American History Workgroup takes @VP to task on @JesseBWatters for her dishonesty about the state’s new curriculum, saying “Kamala Harris has retailed a lie.”
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 25, 2023
Watch: pic.twitter.com/9oPtxpQLRc
During a recent radio interview, Allen was asked if the wording of the curriculum should be changed after Harris' criticism. The answer is no.
"My great grandfather is someone who came from the islands and who was enslaved here... from his resourcefulness, we derive benefits," Allen said. "I think anyone who would try to change that language would be denying that great grandfather Cidipus made any contribution. I certainly could not endorse doing that.”
Well, Alyssa, here is a man who is a descendent American slaves. Let’s see what he has to say when asked if the standards should be amended:
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 23, 2023
“My great grandfather is someone who came from the islands and who was enslaved here... from his resourcefulness, we derive benefits.
I… https://t.co/93CM6kvQDt pic.twitter.com/lEjc7ffYIJ
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Further the broader working group, including Dr. Allen, Dr. Frances Presley Rice and other members that came up with curriculum, issued a lengthy statement refuting Harris' dishonesty.
"Every standard, benchmark and benchmark clarification was developed using a methodical process within our workgroup. Our workgroup began in February and worked through May to ensure the new standards provide comprehensive and rigorous instruction on African American History. We proudly stand behind these African American History Standards," they said. "There have been questions raised about language within a benchmark clarification of standard SS.68.AA.2.3, which says 'Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit."
"The intent of this particular benchmark clarification is to show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted. This is factual and well documented. Some examples include: blacksmiths like Ned Cobb, Henry Blair, Lewis Latimer and John Henry; shoemakers like James Forten, Paul Cuffe and Betty Washington Lewis; fishing and shipping industry workers like Jupiter Hammon, John Chavis, William Whipper and Crispus Attucks; tailors like Elizabeth Keckley, James Thomas and Marietta Carter; and teachers like Betsey Stockton and Booker T. Washington," they continued. "Any attempt to reduce slaves to just victims of oppression fails to recognize their strength, courage and resiliency during a difficult time in American history. Florida students deserve to learn how slaves took advantage of whatever circumstances they were in to benefit themselves and the community of African descendants."
"It is disappointing, but nevertheless unsurprising, that critics would reduce months of work to create Florida's first ever stand-alone strand of African American History Standards to a few isolated expressions without context," they concluded. "We encourage everyone to view these robust standards for themselves."
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