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Vice President Kamala Harris headed to Jacksonville

By Steven Ponson and Claire Heddles

Published on July 21, 2023 at 9:28 am

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to land at Jacksonville International Airport around 2 p.m. today. She’s coming to Jacksonville to speak against new state standards for teaching African American history.

The State Board of Education approved new academic standards Wednesday despite criticism from teachers that they omit key historical facts about the Black experience.

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Among other points, critics have zeroed in on a requirement that instruction include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

I'll be on the ground in Florida tomorrow. We're fighting back against attempts to gaslight us, cover up our history, and rewrite the horrors of slavery.@POTUS and I will always stand up for fundamental freedoms, including the freedom to learn and teach America’s full history.

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 21, 2023

In a tweet Thursday, Harris said, “We’re fighting back against attempts to gaslight us, cover up our history, and rewrite the horrors of slavery.”

She called Florida’s new standards “revisionist history” during a convention in Indiana on Thursday.

Harris is slated to speak with local leaders and give a speech about 3:45 p.m. at the Ritz Theatre in LaVilla — one of Jacksonville’s historically Black neighborhoods.

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Steven Ponson Reporter, WJCT News 89.9 Steven Ponson has six years of experience covering news in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. Prior to arriving on the First Coast, Steven also worked in radio in Orlando. He attended the University of Central Florida where he earned a degree in radio and television. Steven has been a reporter, producer, anchor and board operator. Outside of work, Steven loves to watch sports, cook delicious cajun food (as any good Louisiana native does) and spend time outdoors.

Claire Heddles Reporter, Jacksonville Today Claire has been a reporter in Jacksonville since August of 2021. She was previously the local host of NPR's Morning Edition at WUOT in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reach Claire with tips, ideas or comments at (904) 250-0926, claire@jaxtoday.org and on Twitter at @ClaireHeddles.

author image

Steven Ponson Reporter, WJCT News 89.9 Steven Ponson has six years of experience covering news in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. Prior to arriving on the First Coast, Steven also worked in radio in Orlando. He attended the University of Central Florida where he earned a degree in radio and television. Steven has been a reporter, producer, anchor and board operator. Outside of work, Steven loves to watch sports, cook delicious cajun food (as any good Louisiana native does) and spend time outdoors.

Claire Heddles Reporter, Jacksonville Today Claire has been a reporter in Jacksonville since August of 2021. She was previously the local host of NPR's Morning Edition at WUOT in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reach Claire with tips, ideas or comments at (904) 250-0926, claire@jaxtoday.org and on Twitter at @ClaireHeddles.

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