AP African American Studies contains same slavery teachings as new Florida standards

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – In lieu of criticism against provisions in Florida African American history standards surrounding skills and talents that enslaved people developed, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration pointed out a similarity in the College Board’s African American Studies course.

Vice President Kamala Harris was among those most outspoken against new Florida standards that would teach “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

The term “benefit” being used in conjunction with slavery prompted the outrage.

“They [Florida leaders] want to replace history with lies,” Harris said. “Middle school students in Florida, to be told that enslaved people benefited from slavery. High schoolers may be taught that victims of violence of massacres were also perpetrators.”

Jeremy Redfern, DeSantis’ press secretary, pointed out that AP African American Studies, a course Harris called Florida leaders “extremist” for pushing back on and initially rejecting, teaches that enslaved Americans obtained some “benefit” in the face of inhumane captivity:

In addition to agricultural work, enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians, and healers in the North and South. Once free, American Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others.

AP African American Studies Official Course Framework, Project, and Exam Overview – Effective 2023-2024 (page 72).

Those teachings from the College Board match Florida’s new guidelines that will teach how “slaves developed skills” that could later be applied “for their personal benefit.”

Dr. William Allen and Dr. Frances Presley Rice, who created the new Florida standards, said the “intent” of this particular benchmark is to “show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted.”

The two are members of Florida’s African American History Standards workgroup.

“Remember when Florida wouldn’t allow that AP African American Studies course because it focused too much on CRT and not enough on history, and the @WhiteHouse lost its mind?” Redfern said. “Well, here is one of the standards considered ‘essential knowledge.'”

“Waiting for @PressSec to denounce the @CollegeBoard from the @WhiteHouse press podium,” he added. “She must call an emergency presser to denounce this extremism.”

Controversy over the standards continued Wednesday evening after Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. told superintendents the state is moving forward with approving the standards in the face of wide criticism.

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds prompted responses from DeSantis officials after he agreed with criticisms on the particular slavery section using the term “benefit.”

Donalds said that while the new standards approved by Florida are “good, robust, & accurate,” sections that “feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted.”

Responding to Donalds, Diaz slammed the congressman as “supposedly conservative” and part of the federal government trying to “dictate Florida’s education standards.”

“This new curriculum is based on truth,” he said. “We will not back down from teaching our nation’s true history at the behest of a woke @WhiteHouse, nor at the behest of a supposedly conservative congressman.”

Redfern also called Donalds a “supposed conservative.”

“Supposed conservatives in the federal government are pushing the same false narrative that originated from the @WhiteHouse,” Redfern said. “Florida isn’t going to hide the truth for political convenience.”

“Maybe the congressman shouldn’t swing for the liberal media fences like @VP [Kamala Harris],” DeSantis’ press secretary continued.

In response, Donalds noted he “expressed support for the vast majority of the new African American history standards” but only opposed “one sentence that seemed to dignify the skills gained by slaves as a result of their enslavement.”

“Anyone who can’t accurately interpret what I said is disingenuous and is desperately attempting to score political points,” Donalds continued. “Just another reason why l’m proud to have endorsed President Donald J. Trump!”

Donalds endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in April. He’s also recently said he’d accept a vice president position from Trump if offered one.

The congressman previously received a 100% “Liberty Score” from Conservative Review and a 96% conservative score from Heritage Action.

DeSantis pushed back after Harris visited Florida last week, saying she tried “to push a fake narrative about what Florida did.”

“She wasn’t going down to the border to actually do the job there to secure it. She wasn’t working on all the cities that are decaying because of Soros-backed prosecutors,” the governor said.

Democrats claimed that part of the standard is “perpetuating historical inaccuracies and contributing to a lackluster version of American history.”

Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach, said the curriculum’s attempt to frame the labor skills developed by slaves as potentially “applied for their personal benefit” is “particularly concerning.”