Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Jacksonville, greeted by Mayor Deegan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Vice President Kamala Harris touched down at the Jacksonville International Airport on Friday afternoon and was greeted by Mayor Donna Deegan.

It was a warm greeting between Deegan, the first female mayor of Jacksonville who was sworn in at the beginning of the month, and Harris, the country’s first female Vice President.

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It’s not the first time the two have met -- Harris congratulated Deegan when she won the mayoral seat in May.

Deegan said she’s happy Harris chose to come to Jacksonville following changes to the state’s education standards that critics say play down the horror of slavery.

“Any insinuation that slavery was a benefit to Black people is offensive. It’s offensive, it’s wrong and we need to teach our children the truth of slavery,” Deegan said. “It was a savage, horrible thing. Unless we face our demons, I don’t know how we move forward to have a better future.”

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Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty asked Deegan why she thought Harris chose Jacksonville, and about the significance of the visit.

“We certainly have a very large Black population here one that has been very vocal on this issue and I think it is a way to make folks feel like, like they have a champion here,” Deegan said.

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