Called Florida's Slavery Standards 'Wrong'—Then Backed Down to One Sentence
What Byron said then
“The attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong and needs to be adjusted. I have faith that FLDOE will correct this.”
July 2023
What he says now
“What's crazy to me is I expressed support for the vast majority of the new African American history standards and happened to oppose one sentence. The guidelines are good, accurate, and reasonable.”
July–August 2023
Context
When Florida's new Black history curriculum surfaced—requiring students to be taught that enslaved people gained 'skills' that benefited them personally—Donalds publicly called it 'wrong' and said it needed correction. DeSantis and his allies responded with a coordinated attack, accusing Donalds of siding with Kamala Harris. Within days, Donalds walked it back entirely: he now only opposed 'one sentence,' the rest was 'good, accurate, and reasonable.' Nothing in the curriculum changed. Only the political pressure did.
The bottom line
Caved to DeSantis within 72 hours of making a correct moral call—showing that even obvious positions are negotiable under political pressure