Heritage Foundation President Blasts False Claims About Florida’s African American History Curriculum
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts criticized the false allegations targeting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state's African American history curriculum, asserting that these claims are not related to history but are solely aimed at undermining DeSantis.
Roberts, who holds a PhD in American history and has extensively written about the topic, expressed his disbelief over the outcry regarding Florida's African American History standards. After reviewing them, he concluded that they are excellent and serve as a model for other states. The curriculum covers comprehensive topics, does not avoid difficult issues, and highlights heroic individuals who fought against oppression.
The controversy began when Vice President Kamala Harris visited Jacksonville, Florida, and made false statements about the curriculum. She claimed that it teaches middle school students that enslaved people benefited from slavery, based on one sentence from the curriculum that merely explained how freed slaves used skills acquired during slavery to improve their lives later on.
Similar content about the contributions of enslaved people can be found in the College Board's course framework for AP African American Studies. The curriculum recognizes the various skills enslaved individuals developed and how they used them after gaining freedom to support themselves and others.
Roberts emphasized that mentioning the phrase "personal benefit" for some slaves in the curriculum does not defend slavery or make it sound better. Instead, it highlights the extraordinary perseverance of enslaved people within an evil system. He cited African American historian Dr. William B. Allen, the author of the standards, who clarified the intent behind the wording and received support from NPR's Steve Inskeep.
Roberts concluded by stating that the controversy is not about the accuracy or quality of the curriculum, which he believes is well-crafted. Instead, he believes it is driven by political motivations to attack a conservative leader like Governor DeSantis, whom he admires for his courage in the face of such baseless criticism.
