One of the leading Black conservative organizations in the country has denounced Florida's newly implemented African American history standards, calling out a benchmark clarification that reads, "Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit."
The clarification falls under the standard that reads, "Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation)." The African American history strand falls under the social studies standards adopted by the Florida Board of Education.
"The Black Conservative Federation strongly condemns Governor [Ron] DeSantis and his State Board of Education's position regarding slaves' learning skills," a statement from the group read Wednesday. "This stance undermines the historical reality of slavery and the unimaginable hardships endured by millions of enslaved individuals.
"In reality," the statement added, "slaves were oppressed and denied access to education, equal opportunities, and social mobility.
"They were forced to adapt and survive under extraordinary circumstances, showcasing remarkable resilience and resourcefulness. However, attributing their acquired skills as a benefit is an oversimplification and can obscure the true nature of their experiences.
"Slaves did not have 'agency.' They were forced to do jobs without pay. This is not a benefit by any stretch of the imagination."
The statement follows Vice President Kamala Harris' trip last week to Jacksonville, Florida, where she said there is a national conspiracy at play to "whitewash" Black history.
"I do believe this is not only about the state of Florida. There is a national agenda afoot," the vice president said, according to USA Today.
During her speech and afterward in a tweet, Harris said, "They push forward revisionist history. Just yesterday, in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it."
However, according to a joint statement from William Allen and Frances Presley Rice, two members of the state's African American History Standards Workgroup, which wrote the standards, included the benchmark clarification to highlight that in spite of their circumstances, former slaves leveraged their skills to go on and create a better life.
"The intent," they wrote, "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.
"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."
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