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Star Parker Founder & President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education
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Left distorting Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE Act’ curriculum changes

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Star Parker Founder & President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education
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On June 19, the Florida Department of Education (FOE) updated its guidelines for its Black history curriculum in Florida’s public schools. This follows Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ signing of the “Stop WOKE Act” last year. The new standards say discussions about race must be taught in an “objective manner” and should describe the skills enslaved people learned as beneficial to them later in life. Critics, including Vice President Kamala Harris, say that the new curriculum ignores Florida’s role in slavery and the oppression of African Americans.

Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker argues that opponents of the Stop WOKE Act fail to recognize the resilience of humanity in dealing with the challenges they face.

In the news again, the political Left attempting to demagogue on race matters in America, this time on curriculum changes in Florida schools. Of course there is only one way to understand slavery in America and around the world: that the practice is evil – pure and simple.

No one said it more clearly than our first president of the Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln. In his speech in Peoria, Illinois, 1854, Lincoln challenged Democrat Sen. Stephen Douglas, who was advancing the Kansas Nebraska Act, proposing to deal with slavery in new states entering the union by voting.

Lincoln stated that Douglas was arguing that when God made man and placed good and evil before him, it was allowing for mankind to choose for himself on anything, on everything.

Lincoln noted that “the facts of this proposition are not true. God did not place good and evil before man telling him to make his choice,” Lincoln said. “On the contrary, he did tell him there was one tree of the fruit of which he should not eat, upon pain of certain death. I should scarcely wish so strong a prohibition against slavery in Nebraska.”

You know, this WOKE Act was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida to protect the public school curriculum from the distortions of the Left, about our nation, our culture, our history. This is all perpetuated by the “woke crowd.”

And now the Left is distorting the reality of the curriculum that many scholars have developed, including prominent Black scholars.

In the news again, the political left attempting to demagogue on race matters in America, this time on curriculum changes in Florida schools.

Of course there is only one way to understand slavery, in America and around the world: that the practice is Evil – pure and simple.

No one said it more clearly than our first president of the Republican party, Abraham Lincoln.

In his speech in Peoria, IL, 1854, Lincoln challenged Democrat Senator Stephen Douglas, who was advancing the Kansas Nebraska Act, proposing to deal with slavery in new states entering the union by voting.

Lincoln stated that Douglas was arguing that when God made man and placed good and evil before him, it was allowing for mankind to choose for himself on anything on everything.

Lincoln noted that in quotes “…the facts of this proposition are not true.”

“God did not place good and evil before man, telling him to make his choice,” Lincoln said.

Lincoln quote, “On the contrary, he did tell him there was one tree of the fruit of which he should not eat, upon pain of certain death. I should scarcely wish so strong a prohibition against slavery in Nebraska.” End quote.

You know, this W.O.K.E. act was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida to protect the public school curriculum from the distortions of the Left, about our nation, our culture, our history, this is all perpetuated by the woke crowd.

And now the left is distorting the reality of the curriculum that many scholars have developed, including prominent Black scholars. Vice President Kamala Harris is now trying to use this distortion to create a branding for her failing reputation as so called thoughtful leader.

But I suppose she didn’t anticipate that one of the black scholars on the curriculum changes would challenge her inaccuracies aggressively.

Dr. William Barclay Allen, one of the curriculum authors has been all over the news to correct the record.

According to Dr Allen as repeated on Fox News from his ABC News interview on the supposed outrage of Vice President Harris:

The course is not portraying slavery as beneficial in itself, but rather how African Americans managed to prove themselves adaptable and resilient in a time of crisis.

From Dr. Allen: 

“It was never said that slavery was beneficial to Africans. What was said, and anyone who reads this will see this with clarity, it is the case that Africans proved resourceful, resilient and adaptive .. and were able to develop skills and aptitudes which served to their benefit, both while enslaved and after enslavement.”

Ironically, Vice President Harris, as with the political left, including the black left, are the same ones who are attempting to through their agenda to rewrite our history and choose to purge all Biblical truth from American lives, our culture and our country.

Relating the history of our great free nation under God truthfully means we don’t whitewash our failures.  

But as Dr Bill Allen, my friend and on our advisory team here at Cure, as he points out, we should also appreciate, want to appreciate, the resilience and ability of all mankind to play the hand that they are dealt .. and then to excel brilliantly amidst any and all challenges:

something only free people can do, especially when allowed to live their lives free from political manipulations.

 

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