Vice President Kamala Harris has condemned Florida’s State Board of Education’s approval of new standards for how Black history is taught in schools in a strongly worded speech.
Speaking in a clip that has since gone viral on Twitter, Harris said that the State of Florida was attempting to “gaslight” people on the topic of slavery in America while speaking at Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s 56th national convention in Indianapolis on Thursday.
“Gaslighting” is defined by Merriam-Webster as psychological manipulation over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality and typically leads to confusion.
“Just yesterday in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefitted from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us and we will not stand for it.”
— VP Kamala Harris slams Republicans for “extremist” laws. pic.twitter.com/4lFtzVQIVH
— The Recount (@therecount) July 20, 2023
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“Speaking of our children, extremists pass book bans to prevent them from learning our true history,” Harris said during her speech.
“Book bans in this year of our lord 2023, and while they do this, check it out, they push forward revisionist history.
“Just yesterday, in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefitted from slavery.
“They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us and we will not stand for it. We who share a collective experience in knowing we must honor history in our duty in the context of legacy. There is so much at stake in this moment.”
The Florida Board of Education’s new set of standards on how Black history is taught in public schools has faced criticism from both education and civil rights advocates.
The critics have insisted students should be allowed to learn the full truth of American history.
The new standards require instruction for middle school students to include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” according to a document listing the standards. This document was posted on the Florida Department of Education website.
On Friday, Harris is expected to travel to Florida to deliver a speech critical of this latest move by the Educational board.
The trip to Jacksonville will highlight efforts to “protect fundamental freedoms, specifically, the freedom to learn and teach America’s full and true history,” a White House official said to NBC News.
As well as condemning the manner in which Black history is set to be taught in Florida, during her speech, Harris was also critical of bills that impact members of the LGBTQ community.
Bills such as the so-called Don’t Say Gay,” which bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools, has faced criticism since being introduced last year.
She also went on to criticize the lack of “reasonable gun safety laws” that are passed through Congress, despite mass shootings across the country.
“Extremists pass laws that target our friends and neighbors because of who they are and who they love,” Harris began by saying.
“At this moment in our country, we just witnessed the United States Supreme Court strike down affirmative action, give businesses the right to discriminate and deny debt relief to millions of Americans with student loans.
“All the while, these same extremists, in most cases, refuse to pass reasonable gun safety laws to keep our children safe.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment.
