Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sparks controversy with comments on Black people and slavery

During a press conference, DeSantis stated that "they're probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life." The comments were made in reference to the newly approved African-American studies curriculum in Florida schools which teaches about the "personal benefit" of slavery.

The Florida Department of Education has approved a new curriculum for the state's African-American Studies program in public schools, which instructs students on the personal benefit of slavery to Black people.

The state's curriculum standards for the African-American Studies course say students will learn "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." The move to include this perspective in the curriculum has been criticized by some who argue that it downplays the brutality and injustice of slavery.

Others have pointed out that the skills learned by Black people during slavery were often a result of forced labor and not a benefit.

DeSantis defended the curriculum change as a purely academic decision by the state Department of Education and noted that he did not play a role in the changes.

However, the change follows the "Stop WOKE Act" which DeSantis signed into law in 2022, which aimed to ban the teaching of anything that made students in public schools feel "shamed because of their race." The law was intended to push back against the supposed teaching of critical race theory in public schools.