"Slaves developed skills that, in some cases, could be applied to their personal advantage”, this is part of the newly introduced historical concepts for middle school students in Florida, strongly criticized in recent weeks by the Democratic opposition to Governor DeSantis and others.
In the highly polarized political environment of the United States, Governor Ron DeSantis has been using schools as a battleground to restrict the spread of "woke" ideas - a derogatory term in these circles for “progressive” ideas - especially among the younger generation. These new guidelines for teaching African-American history follow the "don't say gay" laws that severely limit discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the state schools.
The governor, who is currently campaigning for the 2024 presidential elections, has even announced a bill that defines diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as "discriminatory", and he has promised to ban universities from funding them, even if the funding does not come from the state.
Criticism of the (African)American history curriculum
The school curriculum has been changed to align with the so-called Stop WOKE laws, which target lessons on topics such as "white privilege," creating new "protections" for students and workers, including that a person should not be taught to "feel guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress" based on their race, color, sex, or national origin.
However, some critics of the new standards believe that essential concepts and themes have been diluted and/or moved to age-inappropriate levels. According to the Florida Education Association and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a historical civil rights organization in the US), the curriculum "intentionally omits or rewrites key historical facts about the experience of African-Americans”. The most cited example is the section alluding to the "benefits" of slavery, for giving beneficial abilities to slaves, while also highlighting violence perpetrated by African Americans in the slave and segregation era, partially by ignoring the evident power imbalances between the two sides.
The words of the Vice-President
Kamala Harris, African-American vice president, was particularly critical of the new measures during a trip to Jacksonville, Florida, stating "they want to force their propaganda on our children; these are the United States of America, it should not be done", and "who could possibly suggest that, in the context of these atrocities, there was any benefit to being subject to such dehumanization?". Despite the clear references to the Florida Board of Education and Governor Desantis, Harris made no names, referring to "so-called leaders".
In response to the VP, DeSantis reiterated his previous arguments that the new curriculum was necessary to prevent liberal indoctrination, and by accusing Harris of attempting to "make demagogy" and politicizing history.
Christian Ziegler, president of the Florida Republican Party, said that Harris seemed to want to remind parents of the state ”that their children belong to the federal government and that the federal government has the right to indoctrinate and sexualize our children. He added that "the federal government’s prevarication over parental rights has already been overwhelmingly rejected in Florida".
Internal Opposition?
The outrage caused by the curriculum has not only affected Democrats, but also some members of DeSantis' own party. Black Republican Byron Donalds, one of the most influential politicians in the state of Florida, admitted his disagreement with the section suggesting that African-Americans benefited from slavery, and he proposed collaborating with the state to refine the program. These comments provoked DeSantis and his administration that have accused Donalds of being a “fake conservative” and using the same false narrative as the White House.
Former Republican strategist Tara Setmayer stated that the debate reflects an unfortunate political reality of the current Republican Party: far-right positions on race have become incredibly popular since the rise of Trump.
"I've been a Republican for 27 years, and the Republican Party had never attempted to whitewash American history, now instead, this is a mainstream policy for the party," she said.
Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2023
Sources consulted for this article
Image:https://pixabay.com/photos/classroom-school-education-learning-2093744/
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/20/florida-black-history-teaching-standards-00107067
https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-florida-desantis-education-9ccbeac59d1f8289e1d8c9bccbff85a9
https://apnews.com/article/desantis-slavery-election-2024-1fb51d663e6051051aa23b71421b9479