JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Vice President Kamala Harris made an appearance in Jacksonville Friday, criticizing the new standards passed by the Florida Department of Education about the teaching of Black history in public schools statewide.
Harris says some of the new standards will replace history with lies. Other local community leaders accused state leaders of whitewashing Black history.
Harris adds that slavery involved rape and torture and that no one benefitted from it. She called the state leaders who support the new curriculum "extremists."
"These extremists, or so-called leaders, should model what we know to be the correct right approach if we really are invested in the well-being of our children," Vice President Kamala Harris said.
Harris accused some state leaders of pushing misleading and false propaganda on children in Florida classrooms.
"They are going to be the ones in the room, who don't know their own history when the rest of the world does," Harris said.
The Vice President takes issue with the new standards for African American history approved by the Florida Department of Education on Wednesday.
Part of the curriculum drawing criticism are lessons about reconstruction that includes acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.
Another lesson says students will be taught slaves developed skills which in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.
"Adults know what slavery really involves," Harris said. "It involves rape. It involves torture. It involves taking a baby from their mother. It involves some of the worst examples of depriving people of humanity in our world," Harris said.
Harris also defended teachers' rights in the classroom.
"Teachers dedicate themselves to some of the most noble work any human being could take on, to teach other people's children for the sake of the future of our nation," Harris said. "They should not then be told by politicians that they should be teaching, revisiting revisionist history in order to keep their jobs," she added. "What is going on?"
Ahead of Harris' speech, Governor Ron DeSantis accused her of lying about Florida's educational standards and says: "Florida stands in their way and we will continue to expose their agenda and their lies."
"We will stand united as a country," Harris said. "We know our collective history. It is our shared history. We are all in this together. We know that we rise or fall together as a nation."
The new curriculum applies to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.