The College Fix

Harris is ‘categorically false’ and in ‘error,’ historian says

Vice President Kamala Harris is wrong to suggest that Florida’s social studies standards promote the idea that Africans benefited from slavery, according to a black political scientist and former Michigan State University professor.

Professor William Allen, a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup, told ABC News that the vice president is wrong to suggest that Florida.

“In the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery,” the VP claimed. “They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it.”

She made similar claims last Thursday in Indianapolis. “Just yesterday in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery,” Harris told the crowd at the annual Delta Sigma Theta sorority, a black organization. “They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it.”

She made the comments shortly after claiming “extremists” were passing “book bans.”

This is not true, according to Allen (pictured). Asked by ABC News about the “backlash” to the standards, Allen noted that the “criticism” from Harris, “was an error” and “categorically false.”

“It was never said that slavery was beneficial to Africans,” Allen 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 enslavement,” Allen said.

The standards say that students should learn about “the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation)” and “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

Allen, a descendant of slaves, provided further comments to ABC News.

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

“People don’t necessarily simply embrace their oppressors when they’re oppressed,” he said. “They also react adaptively and they find ways to make pathways for themselves, even in the presence of oppression.”

“And that’s what calls upon their resourcefulness, their resilience, and their adaptability,” Allen said. “And from these things, we begin to see how it becomes possible for some people to see that even though people were enslaved, they made great contributions to the growing prosperity of this society.”

He continued to say that “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.”

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IMAGES: Michigan State University; White House

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