Late this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reportedly retaliated against people spreading what he denounced as “lies” about Florida’s teaching of African American history in an apparent attempt to harm him politically as he runs for president.
When Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, last weekend to criticize the new curriculum, the charges got out.
The 216-page curriculum’s one statement that indicated that liberated slaves occasionally used the abilities they had acquired while in slavery to aid themselves later in life caught Harris’ attention.
The terminology used in the Florida curriculum is very comparable to the language used in the College Board’s current AP African American Studies curriculum.
Several African American Republicans later echoed the claims made by Harris, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is running for president, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), who also backed Trump, and Rep. John James (R-MI), who is also a Trump supporter.
“The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, & accurate. That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasn’t the goal & I have faith that FLDOE will correct this.” Donalds wrote on Twitter.
For his part, DeSantis hit back, responding directly to Donalds: “Floridians should stand up for Florida. Don’t side with Kamala Harris and liberals who are demagoguing this.” DeSantis said.
Gov. @RonDeSantis responds to attacks from the Trump campaign’s Byron Donalds:
"Floridians should stand up for Florida. Don't side with Kamala Harris." pic.twitter.com/DuMtpKz72U
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) July 28, 2023
Tim Scott joined in the attack on the Florida Governor, when he said that “What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans, and even raping their wives. It was just devastating. So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for president — would appreciate that.”
DeSantis then took the fight to the Senator from South Carolina in another statement:
“Part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the Left. And to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked, that’s not the way you do it. The way you lead is to fight back against the lies, is to speak the truth. So I’m here defending my state of Florida against false accusations and against lies. And we’re going to continue to speak the truth.”
“Part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the Left. And to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked, that's not the way you… pic.twitter.com/oDfCPIKkwR
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) July 28, 2023
[READ MORE: Court Rules Against Disney in Battle With DeSantis]
