Vice President Kamala Harris publicly rejected Republican presidential challenger Ron DeSantis’s invitation to visit Florida to discuss the state’s new Black history curriculum and denounced the suggestion that enslaved people learned valuable skills.
“I’m here in Florida, and I will tell you there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: There were no redeeming qualities of slavery,” Harris said Tuesday at a gathering of the Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Orlando.
The curriculum in question drew backlash from the Biden administration for instructing that enslaved people developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.” Harris and President Joe Biden have criticized the standards, backed by DeSantis, the state’s governor, and Harris traveled to Florida in late July to convey the White House’s stance.
Without mentioning DeSantis by name, Harris called the teachings insulting.
“Right here in Florida, they plan to teach students that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, in an attempt to divide our nation with unnecessary debates,” Harris said. “We will not stop calling out and fighting back against extremists and so-called leaders for trying to prevent our children from learning our true and full history.”
DeSantis has said he was not involved in the state’s new standards but has also defended them. His invitation to discuss the curriculum accused the Biden administration of attempting to score “cheap political points.”
The controversy comes as his campaign attempts a reset amid donor concerns about the team’s financial stability, a leadership shakeup and declining poll numbers.
The Florida governor, who is running a distant second to former President Donald Trump in polls, on Monday announced an economic agenda that boasts plans to increase domestic energy production, end China’s preferred trade status and expand disclosures by banks.
Read more: DeSantis Pivots to Economy as Trump Strengthens Hold on GOP
DeSantis has up until now centered his campaign on waging a war against “woke” ideology on issues such as education, abortion and LGBTQ rights.
Fellow GOP presidential candidates, including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former Texas Congressman Will Hurd, have also criticized DeSantis for the curriculum.
