Dr. William B. Allen, a longtime academic, former chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup denounced claims made by Vice President Kamala Harris last week as “categorically false.”
Harris falsely claimed “that in the State of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it.”
Enter Dr. Allen who said: “It is the case that Africans proved resourceful, resilient and adaptive, and were able to develop skills and aptitudes which served to their benefit, both while enslaved and after enslaved.
“The only criticism I’ve encountered so far is a single one that was articulated by the vice president, and which was an error.
“As I stated in my response to the vice president, it was categorically false.
“It was never said that slavery was beneficial to Africans.
“I just want to foster and encourage everyone to take the time to read or as I said in my response to the vice president, I think every intellect can understand the language written there if people will only take the time to read it.
“And it’s only those who don’t take the time to read it who will misstate it.
Dr. Frances Presley Rice, who worked with Dr. Allen said it is “disappointing but nevertheless unsurprising, that critics would reduce months of work to create Florida’s first ever stand-alone strand of African American History Standards to a few isolated expressions without context.
“The intent of this particular benchmark clarification is to show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted.
“This is factual and well documented,” Dr. Rice said.
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said:
“It’s sad to see critics attempt to discredit what any unbiased observer would conclude to be in-depth and comprehensive African American History standards.”
Yesterday, @abcnews aired a very small section of their interview with a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup, Dr. William B. Allen.
Here’s more of the interview, where Dr. Allen debunks @VP’s narrative and calls her criticism “categorically false.”🧵 pic.twitter.com/hPFbKNZPs1
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 23, 2023
Asked if he believes the course should be amended:
“No, I think it would be effectively to erase people’s history.”Dr. Allen then gives an anecdote of his own great grandfather who, unlike @VP’s great grandfather, was a slave. pic.twitter.com/sjh5FqJgjV
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 23, 2023
