“The Florida Board of Education’s decision to teach students that slavery provided some Black Americans with skills that benefited them is as unbelievable as it is insulting.’
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/21/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Florida Board of Education to revise its new standards on African-American history, which will teach students that some Black people personally benefited from slavery because it taught them useful skills.
The Florida Board of Education’s new standards include controversial language about how “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” according to a 216-page document about the state’s 2023 standards in social studies, posted by the Florida Department of Education.
SEE: New Florida standards teach that Black people benefited from slavery because it taught useful skills
Read the Full Standards
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“The Florida Board of Education’s decision to teach students that slavery provided some Black Americans with skills that benefited them is as unbelievable as it is insulting. The board’s ludicrous attempt to water down the history of our nation’s uniquely evil, racist system of slavery must not stand. We call on the Florida Board of Education to come to its senses, revise their standards, and accurately represent African-American history and American history.”
He said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected] CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]