A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Governor is 1,087 miles from Tallahassee, but he’s continuing to gin up controversy about the state’s teaching of the impacts of slavery.
During a Never Back Down town hall in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Ron DeSantis again upbraided Vice President Kamala Harris and unnamed “Republicans” for perpetuating a “hoax” regarding the state’s 216-page set of guidelines governing classroom instruction on Black history. The newly approved rules include teaching middle school students “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
“They have this hoax that Kamala Harris is trying to do saying, you know, we had people, you know, because when we got rid of critical race theory, what they said was, ‘Oh, you don’t want to teach about any Black history,'” DeSantis claimed.
The Governor went on to misrepresent the Vice President’s words, delivered last week in a speech in Jacksonville.
“Harris says that somehow Florida is teaching that having chattel slavery was good. Nobody said that and the standard said just the opposite. But she runs with the lie and the media repeats the lie. And here’s the thing. Republicans need to fight back against these lies,” DeSantis said.
The Governor finds himself on the other side of the issue from two prominent Black conservatives, including a Senator from South Carolina who is also running for President.
“What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating,” U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said Thursday in Ankeny. “So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for President — would appreciate that.”
“People have bad days,” Scott continued. “Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions.”
DeSantis’ words Friday amount to a clarification of his position, at least.
Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds also took issue with the standards claiming that Black people benefited from learning skills during slavery, an argument he took to national television Friday.
“This is a dumb story, and this is brought to us by the DeSantis campaign. They’re the ones who made this an issue. I’ve been very clear that the standards are robust; they are accurate. They are good,” Donalds said. “Students in Florida will learn Black history.”
“But my issue is with one sentence of the entire thing, one sentence of 200 pages,” Donalds continued. “And the DeSantis team wants to make a big issue out of it. That’s ridiculous.”
7 comments
Lynda
July 28, 2023 at 4:18 pm
Ron deSantis is is wrong about the new Florida requirements for teaching Black History being “robust”. The new requirements like so many “requirements” he has introduced to the education of Florida’s children will result in Florida’s children being unprepared to compete in any world which takes “excellence” in education seriously.
As he travels on the dimes of FL’s taxpayers around the country praising the high quality of education in FL, it is necessary for everyone who hears his lies to be told that any evaluation took place prior to the “requirements” of deSantis being imposed on our children. Fortunately his crowds are smaller and smaller, and he has dropped from second place to third in most polls.
Fortunately as well, deSantis has only a few years left (unless he can force his legislature to grant him an exemption from his term being limited to two terms.)
to force his strange ideas on Florida.
Dont Say FLA
July 28, 2023 at 5:36 pm
Once the legislature realizes their terrible mistake in exempting Rhonda from Resign to Run, they’ll fix that mistake on Day One of their next legislative session, be it special or regularly scheduled. Rhonda will veto, of course, but the super majority GOP can and will overrule Rhonda unless they just want to suffer Rhonda’s raging upon his return to Florida with his tail between his legs and CaCa CaCa Casey filing immediately for divorce but refusing to take the kids with her.
My Take
July 28, 2023 at 11:50 pm
But maybe taking some TALL, longer lasting, FDLE security officer with her.
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 8:23 am
Any lunch break, any night, any chance she gets, I figure. Ohhhh, THIS is why she has Rhonda running for President! LOL @ Runarounded Rhonda
Jake
July 29, 2023 at 7:07 pm
desantis’ big fear; a strong, Black, powerful woman.
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 8:29 am
A strong, Black, powerful woman is one of many fears for the sad little guy called Rhonda. He’s scared of scrawny crackhead skinny women, too. He scared of chicks with dicks. He scared of farm works. I mean seriously, what is Rhonda NOT scared of?
Only thing he ever has to say to anybody is they should be scared of everything. He tells little kids to be scared of their Icee in the middle of July … while he dons a sweater vest for no apparent reason. Maybe he’s scared of a cold snap in July because he is “up North” in midwest Iowa.
OMG Rhonda must be preggers! He doesn’t want us to know because he thinks it’d be bad for the campaign. Might as well let the cat out the bag, Rhonda. Trump could croak tomorrow but your campaign is still done.
Igary salters
July 30, 2023 at 10:48 pm
THIS IS TO BYRON DONALDS YOU HAVE NO STANDING WITH THE BLACK PEOPLE OF FLORIDA OR THE MILLIONS OF BLACK AMERICANS BECAUSE YOU SUPPORT A RACIST WHITE MAN WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYBODY BUT HIMSELF YOU CAN FIGHT WITH RON RACIST LITTLE MAN DESANTIS ABOUT THAT ONE SENTENCE ALL YOU WANT TO BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO FIGHT THE REAL FIGHT FIGHT AND THAT IS THE OVER TURNING OF AFFIMATIVE ACTION THE CONTINUE FIGHT OF THE GOP TO OVER TURN THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND CIVIL RIGHTS OF BLACK AMERICANS TURNING YOUR BACK ON ALL OF THE BLACK AMERICANS WHO MARCH AND PROTESTED FOR THE VERY RIGHTS THAT ALLOWED YOU TO SUCCEED IN LIFE SO UNTIL YOU DECIDE TO COME HOME AND ABANDON THE GOP YOU WILL NEVER HAVE STANDING WITH BLACK FLORIDIANS OR BLACK AMERICANS ENOUGH SAID
Comments are closed.