State Rep. Perez to Newsmax: VP Harris Wrong, Fla. Education Not Racist

Incoming Florida State House Speaker Rep. Daniel Perez told Newsmax Monday that he took issue with Vice President Kamala Harris’s attack on Florida’s new curriculum.

“I did not see Vice President Kamala Harris anywhere talk about the good that the legislative process had done in the state of Florida,” Perez told guest host, Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, during his appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”

“The study of African American history and slavery is something that is taught in our schools. And we understand … it was a tough time for the African American population. It was a terrible time for the African American population, and we understand that. But to say that the state of Florida is racist … that’s just not true,” Perez added.

Last week, while speaking in Jacksonville, Florida, Harris decried the state’s new education curriculum.

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

Ostensibly, Harris’s criticism refers to a line from the curriculum expectations for middle schoolers that mentions — tautologically — how African slaves personally benefited from acquired skills. In other words, if they learned a skill, they benefited. The curriculum made no mention of endorsing slavery.

“Examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves (e.g., agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, transportation),” the curriculum guide reads. “Benchmark Clarifications: Clarification 1: Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

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