After Florida's recent education policy regarding slavery caught the attention of Vice President Kamala Harris (D), the topic has quickly become the centerpiece of discussion in the crowded 2024 primary as candidates gang up on Governor DeSantis (R-FL) as he distances himself from the policy.
The Florida Department of Education released a curriculum that did not sit well with some in the general public. In particular, a segment that states slavery would be taught as a, "personal benefit," to slaves who acquired skills through their labor. VP Harris traveled down to Florida to blast the governor, accusing him of rewriting black history.
DeSantis responded by calling the attacks woke and blaming the liberal agenda for, "indoctrinating," students. However, recent attacks from fellow Republicans may show that the criticisms of the education policy may show that Harris' stance isn't so woke after all.
DeSantis responded to media questions with, "I didn't do it, and I'm not involved with it," referring to the deep levels of bureaucracy in which these decisions are made. Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) directly responded to these comments stating, "I didn't do it, and I'm not involved with it, are not the words of leadership."
Christie further stated, "Governor DeSantis started this fire with a bill that he signed," referring to the Stop Woke Act which made this policy possible that the governor signed into law in 2022. Presidential candidate US Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) responded to DeSantis' defenses of the curriculum that would teach students slavery came along with teaching valuable skills.
"Unfortunately, it has to be said - slavery wasn't a jobs program that taught beneficial skills," Hurd said. "It was literally dehumanizing and subjugated people as property because they lacked any rights or freedoms."
DeSantis now finds himself in an awkward spot as he attempts to disassociate himself from the decision by his Department of Education, while taking shots from Democrats and Republicans alike who are now attacking education in Florida, one of the governor's most valued projects during his governorship.
