(RepublicanDaily.org) – Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has come under fire from several black GOP members for Florida’s new standards for its middle school Black history curriculum, which includes controversial lessons on how slaves personally benefitted from their circumstances by “developing skills.”
The lessons would be taught in sixth through eighth grade social studies classes.
In a town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, who is also a vying for the presidential nomination from the GOP, said that slavery was “devastating,” and said that there was no “silver lining” to be found in it. He stated that slavery separated families, human mutilation, and “even raping their wives,” adding, “So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for president — would appreciate that.”
However, Scott also said, “People have bad days. Sometimes they regret what they say,” adding that people should “clarify their positions” on the issue.
Other Black Republicans have also criticized Florida’s new Black history curriculum, including Michigan Representative John James, who posted (tweeted) on his person account on X, “@RonDeSantis, #1: slavery was not CTE!” he added that his ancestors suffered “400 years of evil” that had no “net worth” to them. He also accused DeSantis of “attacking” black republicans in Congress, saying, “there are only five black Republicans in Congress and you’re attacking two of them.”
Texas Representative Wesley Hunt also voiced his disapproval on X, urging the Florida Governor to spend more time “doing the job the people of Florida elected him to do and less time on his failing Presidential campaign” and ensure that “Florida’s curriculum on slavery would more accurately reflect the pain and heartbreak experienced by millions who suffered through the original sin.”
Both James and Hunt are supporters of former president Donald Trump, who is again seeking the GOP nomination for the presidential race in 2024.
DeSantis, however, has denied any involvement in the creation of the curriculum, stating, “I didn’t do it. And I wasn’t involved in it,” adding, “I think that they’re probably going to show — some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.”
Copyright 2023, RepublicanDaily.org
