Florida Lawmakers File Bill Targeting Kamala Harris Over Black History and Slavery Education
Florida Lawmakers File Bill Targeting Vice President Kamala Harris Over Black History and Slavery
In response to recent controversies surrounding GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s failure to mention slavery during a Civil War question, lawmakers in Florida have filed a bill targeting Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris. The legislation, known as the “Kamala Harris Truth in Slavery Teaching Act,” aims to require public-school instruction about African American history and the political parties that supported slavery.
The bill, filed in both the Florida Senate and House, would mandate teaching the history of African Americans, including the circumstances surrounding slavery and which political parties supported it. Given the language in the bill, it is likely that Southern Democrats would be considered as the parties in question.
Republican Kiyan Michael filed the House bill, while Blaise Ingoglia filed the Senate bill. Both lawmakers represent different counties in Florida and have ties to the Republican Party. The legislation has already sparked controversy, with the Florida Legislature set to open its annual session soon.
Vice President Harris has been vocal about Black history standards in Florida, criticizing what she calls revisionist history that attempts to downplay the horrors of slavery. She has spoken out against proposals that suggest enslaved people benefited from slavery and has emphasized that there were no redeeming qualities to the institution.
In response to the bill targeting Vice President Harris, Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami-Dade released a statement condemning the legislation as a distraction from addressing real issues facing Floridians. He criticized the lawmakers for injecting partisanship into education and urged them to focus on serving their communities instead.
The controversy surrounding Vice President Harris and the proposed legislation comes in the wake of Haley’s backtrack on her comments about slavery. Haley recently acknowledged that the Civil War was about slavery, after initially failing to mention it in a discussion about the conflict.
As the debate over Black history and slavery continues to unfold in Florida, it remains to be seen how lawmakers and educators will navigate these sensitive issues in the classroom.
