North Palm Beach Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), introduced a House resolution that condemns revisionist education and the history of the African American experience. This resolution comes in the wake of the Florida Board of Education’s newly released Social Studies Standards, which include language about how “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

“Slavery was a scar on the moral fabric of our nation. To suggest otherwise is not just a distortion; it is an affront to the countless souls who suffered under a horrific and vile institution. The systematic practice of brutality and cruelty against African Americans — which included rape, torture, murder, and using children as alligator bait — should not be associated with any benefit,” said Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL). “This resolution is a necessary reminder that our students must always learn about our nation’s past, no matter how painful that may be. Black history can never be up for debate.”

In addition to denouncing the racist tropes found in Florida’s new African American history standards, the resolution “condemns racist education on all fronts from reteaching history to attacking anything related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Critical Race Theory, and Affirmative Action.” It pledges that Congress advocates for education that tells the full narrative of American history and African American history.

Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick recently joined Vice President Harris in Jacksonville to condemn Florida’s approval of African American history standards. She also co-led a letter with Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), and the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), that urged the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Board of Education to reverse the history standards decision.

Additional co-sponsors of the resolution include: Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10) Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Al Green (D-TX-09), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), and Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04).

The full text of the resolution can be found here.

Original source can be found here.