In a speech at the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority National Convention on Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that Republican “extremists” in the state of Florida are pushing schools to teach students that slaves “benefited from slavery.” This, however, is an inaccurate message.
Rather than actually pushing Florida schools to teach such an egregious misrepresentation of slavery, the Florida State Board of Education approved standards that would instead inform students that some slaves employed skills, such as carpentry, tailoring, or blacksmithing, for their own personal benefit. In addition, the standards emphasize the injustice endemic of slavery at the time.
The Vice President also claimed that “many of our hard-won freedoms” were “under full-on attack” from Republicans. Unfortunately, this is just another example of liberals using the emotionally charged buzzwords to incite further division and distraction away from the policies that matter.
Rather than addressing the issues that cause political unrest—such as rising student debt, resources for impoverished communities, or providing relief for working-class families—Democrats are focused on the “woke” mob culture of rhetoric and identity politics.
With an increasing percentage of citizens feeling uneasy and even alienated by their party’s approach, Vice President Harris should instead focus on real policies that benefit everyone equally, rather than engaging in political stunts and unsubstantiated claims.
The White House should take heed and realize that the American public is more than capable of separating rhetoric from reality. Whether it’s the unsubstantiated claim about what Florida schools are teaching, or the thinly veiled attack on Republicans, voters deserve better from Vice President Harris and the Democrats.
Rather than stoking the flames of division, the Democratic party should focus on the issues that matter, policies that will benefit the whole of the United States. Only then can we actually move forward as a nation.