In the realm of American politics, two adages often ring true: "A lie told often enough becomes the truth," and "Lies travel faster than truths." While no politician is immune to the occasional falsehood, some lies lay the foundation for political discourse, forcing opponents to debunk false narratives and slow the spread of well-traveled untruths. Vice President Kamala Harris recently employed such a strategy, misrepresenting Florida's new curriculum on teaching slavery in public schools to cast aspersions on Florida Republicans, particularly potential presidential candidate Governor Ron DeSantis.
Harris' controversial statement came during a convention for the traditionally black sorority Delta Sigma Theta in Indianapolis. She claimed, "Just yesterday in the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, and we will not stand for it." However, this portrayal of the Florida Department of Education's new curriculum is a gross misrepresentation.
The curriculum's actual wording is: "Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." This line is one among many instructions on teaching slavery, and it does not suggest that slavery was beneficial to Africans. Harris' distortion of this line item prompted William B. Allen, a member of Florida's African American History Standards Workgroup and former chairman of the Commission on Civil Rights, to publicly denounce her statement as "categorically false."
Allen clarified in an interview with ABC News, "As I stated in my response to the vice president, it was categorically false. It was never said that slavery was beneficial to Africans." Harris' misrepresentation serves to fuel animosity from the political left towards the right and distracts the right into debating the technicalities of the real statement instead of focusing on the lie itself.
Harris' manipulation of the curriculum's wording is a lesson in political propaganda. By subtly altering the phrase "personal benefit" to "benefited from slavery," she presents a false framing that deviates minimally from the original terms. This tactic relies on the assumption that most people won't verify the validity of her alterations, either due to laziness, trust in her authority, or confirmation of their negative biases.
While there are valid debates to be had about what kind of curriculum should be taught to our children, these discussions cannot be fair and honest when politicians corrupt opportunities for educational growth for political theater. Harris' misrepresentation of Florida's educational curriculum illustrates how effective and simple it is to accomplish, especially for someone in a position of authority.
The damage has been done, and now Harris can benefit from the frequent-flyer miles her lie has earned. As we continue to challenge the type of history translation we want to convey to the next generation, we must remain vigilant against such manipulations and strive for a truthful understanding of our country's past.