Just when the controversy surrounding Florida's African American history curriculum sounded like it couldn't get any crazier, the Florida Department of Education has stood firm on its outline of new standards. Now, one of the appointed creator's past comments has come to light again when she thanked God for slavery.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was recently forced to defend his African American history curriculum after Vice President Kamala Harris (D) took an impromptu trip to Jacksonville, FL to bash the new education policy. DeSantis maintains that he had nothing to do with the standards, even though the infamous, "Stop Woke Act," is credited with making the policy possible.
The Department of Education confirmed that creating the controversial curriculum was delegated to an African American History Standards Work Group. According to the Department of Education, the work group was comprised of 13 members, with 10 being selected by the department.
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz (R-FL) appointed one of those members, State Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-FL), who made remarks in the past that she thanked God for slavery.
At a sermon in 2008, the now embattled state representative stated, "I thank God for slavery. I thank God for the crack house. If it weren’t for the crack house, God wouldn’t have never been able to use me how he can use me now and if it wasn’t for slavery, I might be somewhere in Africa worshiping a tree,” said Daniels during the sermon delivered at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio.
Daniels defended her statement just three years later when she ran for office in 2011, clearing any ambiguity in her 2008 remarks where she condemned the institution of slavery, "If slavery wouldn’t have happened, it was an awful thing, I wouldn’t be living in the greatest country in the land today," said Daniels in the 2011 interview.
Although the remarks are more nuanced than they've been chalked up to be, it does not sit well when paired with the Democrat criticism that the department's standards paint silver linings around American slavery, and the DeSantis Administration has only doubled down.
When Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) offered his opinion on the matter via Twitter, which praised the overall African American standards as, "good, accurate, and robust," but called out the slavery portion for needing change, DeSantis operative Christina Pushaw responded to the claims, asking, "Did Kamala Harris write this Tweet?"
Harrison Fields, Donalds congressional communications director, called Team DeSantis assertion that somehow Donalds was “repeating” the White House talking points on Florida’s education standards, was “a joke,” adding,” These people continue to lose credibility and integrity.”
