By Sheharyar 
ANKENY, Iowa — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is under fire from a majority of Black Republicans serving in Congress due to the implementation of new public school standards. These standards have sparked controversy as they suggest that some Black people benefited from slavery because it taught them useful skills. Reps. John James of Michigan and Wesley Hunt of Texas were among the latest to voice their disapproval on Friday. James took to Twitter to express that “nothing” about slavery could be considered a “net benefit” to his ancestors.
As two of the five Black Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate, both James and Hunt are supporting one of DeSantis’ rivals, former President Donald Trump, in the 2024 presidential race.
Hunt tweeted, “As the direct descendant of a slave, I have a hard time understanding Governor DeSantis’ position that transferrable skills learned in bondage are somehow a net benefit.”
Senator Tim Scott, another GOP presidential candidate, also criticized the new standards during a forum with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. He emphasized that as a country founded upon freedom, slavery represented the greatest deprivation of freedom, and there was no silver lining to it.
Scott passionately expressed, “What slavery was really about was separating families, mutilating humans, and even raping their wives. It was just devastating. So I would hope that every person in our country — and certainly running for president — would appreciate that. People have bad days. Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions.”
In addition, Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida and a Trump endorser called on the state Education Department to “correct” the new standards earlier this week. However, NBC News has not yet received a comment from Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, the only Black House member who has not endorsed Trump and has not spoken about the Florida Black history standards. The controversial language in the Florida State Board of Education’s new standards claims that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,”.
The standards have faced widespread backlash, including criticism from Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, who visited Florida and denounced the changes as an attempt to “replace history with lies.” When asked about the criticism from Black Republicans, Governor DeSantis denied that he was picking a fight with them, stating that they were “siding” with Harris and spreading “totally false” information.
Members of the Florida work group involved in developing the new Black history standards informed NBC News that the majority of the 13 individuals in the group did not support the controversial language. Instead, it was pushed for by just two members.
DeSantis responded to Scott’s comments by criticizing “D.C. Republicans” for promoting a similar argument as Harris, suggesting that false narratives and lies perpetuated by the left were influencing the discourse. The Governor has shifted blame to the state education board, which he appoints while defending the changes and framing the issue as a political battle between himself and Harris.