Letters to the Editor: Florida and the GOP want to take us back to the 19th century

To the editor: I was wrong. I thought the Republicans were trying to take us back to the 1950s. But Gov. Ron DeSantis’ remarks about the possible benefits of slavery hark back to antebellum apologists who used “scientific” racism to justify slavery. Indeed, what Republicans really want to do is take us back to the early 19th Century.

Margaret Hamilton, Portland, Ore.

..

To the editor: When the Florida Board of Education put forth examples (in a list masterfully debunked by Michael Hiltzik) of how certain African Americans benefited from the skills they learned as slaves, they missed one of the most brilliant examples ever: Robert Smalls. As a slave he learned how to navigate a sizable ship into and out of Confederate Charleston Harbor… so that he could later dupe his owner in 1862 and navigate the ship (along with its supply of heavy artillery) quietly out of the harbor as a gift to Union forces. Oh, after stopping to pick up his family along the way.

Russ Woody, Studio City

..

To the editor: The words “slavery” and “benefits” should never be spoken in the same sentence. It’s abhorrent.

Marlene Bronson, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Between DeSantis’ comment about Black people having “parlayed” their time as slaves into becoming blacksmiths, and the lack of any factual accuracy common to the examples cited by Florida education officials to support their new teaching standards, one can’t help but find the phrase “dumb as an anvil” most appropriate.

Ted Rosenblatt, Pacific Palisades