Florida does have a history of slavery, and it joined the Confederacy, a fact that Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, is whitewashing, in an attempt to throw some political red meat to an increasingly radicalized, repressive, and racist Republican base of voters, which in turn is a smokescreen for a cronyist agenda.
One “achievement” of DeSantis’ is Florida’s new history curriculum, which includes the old “slavery may have been beneficial” excuse. Florida’s public schools will now teach that some Black people benefited from slavery because they may have learned useful skills while being used as forced unpaid labor.
So be warned: if you’re planning to teach high school history here in the Sunshine State, be prepared for a job interview that goes like this:
And hey, if you think Florida’s curriculum is all right, come do an internship with me sometime. I have some yardwork that’s best done in the midday sun, and I’ll only whip you because I care about your career advancement.
Further reading:
- Axios: Florida Board of Education approves controversial Black history standards
- NBC News: Most of Florida work group did not agree with controversial parts of state’s new standards for Black history, members say
- Verdict: The Real Problems with Florida Teaching About the “Benefits” of Slavery
- CBS News: Read Florida’s Black history teaching standards document to get details on controversial new curriculum
