In a world where the truth is often a casualty of political agendas, it's not surprising that, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Board of Education is trying to rewrite Black history. The newly approved standards include revisionist and offensive language that suggests some Black people benefited from slavery because it "taught them useful skills."
The Florida State Board of Education's curriculum glosses over the reality that slavery was a forced labor system where human beings were "property" to be bought and sold—not a skills development program. Slavery was a brutal and dehumanizing institution that stripped African Americans of their freedom and dignity. To suggest that it had any "benefits" is a gross misrepresentation of history.
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The new curriculum's portrayal of slavery omits its brutal realities, including physical and sexual violence, family separations, and the dehumanizing treatment of enslaved people. By focusing on the skills some enslaved people developed, the curriculum sanitizes the horrors of slavery. It ignores the fact that these skills were often developed in spite of, not because of, their captors.
Slaves Who Overcame Their Circumstances
The Board cites examples like blacksmith Ned Cobb and tailor Elizabeth Keckley, suggesting that these individuals benefited from slavery because they learned helpful skills. While some enslaved people developed specialized trades, this was not a "benefit" of slavery but rather a survival mechanism. Enslaved people often learned and used these skills under duress for the benefit of their enslavers, not for their personal advancement.
Moreover, the board's examples are misleading. Cobb, for instance, was not a slave but a sharecropper who lived long after the abolition of slavery. A renowned dressmaker, Keckley's "benefit" from slavery, as the new history resources suggest, was not a result of the institution but rather her own resilience and determination. Her captors did not teach Keckley her skills as a dressmaker; she inherited them from her enslaved mother. She achieved success despite the brutalities of slavery, not because of them.
Similarly, Betsey Stockton, a teacher and missionary, did not benefit from her enslavement. She was separated from her mother as a child and sold to another family as a teenager. Despite these hardships, Stockton educated herself using the books in her enslaver's library. Her achievements were a testament to her initiative and perseverance, not a product of her enslavement.
These examples distort historical facts and trivialize the suffering and exploitation experienced by enslaved people.
A Political Agenda
Florida's controversial “Stop WOKE Act” required changes to the curriculum. The law, championed by DeSantis, has been heavily criticized for promoting a political agenda at the expense of historical truth. The new curriculum is part of a larger trend of states attempting to control the narrative around race and history in America. These efforts often involve downplaying the impact of slavery and systemic racism and promoting a whitewashed version of American history.
But the move has received widespread outrage and criticism, with Vice President Kamala Harris blasting it as "gaslighting" and "propaganda." Other critics, including historians and educators, have echoed these sentiments, arguing that the curriculum distorts history and fails to provide a complete picture of slavery.
Even prominent Republicans have criticized the move, including Rep. Byron Daniels, the only Black Republican representative currently serving in Florida, and presidential hopeful Sen. Tim Scott.
The Need for Accurate and Inclusive Education
Education should be a tool for understanding and empathy, not a weapon for political agendas. Our students deserve to learn the full, unvarnished truth of our nation's history, including the brutal realities of slavery and the systemic racism that continues to impact our society today.
The new curriculum in Florida is a stark reminder of the importance of accurate and inclusive education. As educators, parents, and concerned citizens, we must push back against these attempts to rewrite history and demand that our schools teach the truth about our past.
We must also support efforts to expand and improve the teaching of Black history in our schools. That includes not only teaching about the horrors of slavery but also celebrating the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout our nation's history.
Distorting Black history is not just a disservice to the individuals who suffered under the institution of slavery; it is a disservice to all of us. In its truest form, history serves as a mirror to our past, reflecting our triumphs and failures. When we distort this mirror because we don't want to confront the brutal realities of the past, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and grow as a society, instead keeping ourselves forever stagnant.
Sign the petition: Our children's education is vital. We must protect it from those who would seek to distort it with their own political agendas by rewriting history.