Graphic by Mari Al Tayb ‘26.
By Hailey Balinbin ’26
Staff Writer
Content warning: this article discusses racism.
In Jan. 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would ban the newly proposed Advanced Placement African American Studies class from being taught in Florida’s public schools. According to The New York Times, the state’s Department of Education, following through on DeSantis’ announcement, rejected the course offering. Shortly after, the College Board released a reworked version of the first draft of the curriculum, which has made important topics such as critical race theory, Black feminist theory and Black queer history optional.
The College Board denies that the changes made to the course were a direct response to Florida’s treatment and rejection of it. An article by The New York Times states that David Coleman, the head of the College Board, expressed how the changes were routine: “Mr. Coleman said that during the initial test of the course this school year, the board received feedback that the secondary, more theoretical sources were ‘quite dense’ and that students connected more with primary sources, which he said have always been the foundation of A.P. courses.” However, it is clear that the changes were made due to some influence from Florida because the revisions were announced after DeSantis’s statement.
This maneuver reflects the Board's priorities in pleasing government officials instead of doing right by inclusive educational content that considers the place of people of color, particularly African American people, as long overdue and necessary topics in high school curricula. The ban on the AP African American Studies class in Florida and the College Board's subsequent reworking of the curriculum shows how white supremacy continues to infiltrate public schools around the country. American public schools are notorious for entirely skipping or skimming over important parts of Black history, whether it be glorifying colonists and erasing slavery in history classes or only reading books written by straight, white male authors. For example, the College Board offers AP history courses in three areas: European, United States, and modern world. Apart from Europe and the United States, if a student wants to learn about history from any other part of the world they would have to take AP World History or take an AP Language and Culture course. The inclusion of non-white content is clearly already limited. Further, while AP US History covers African American history as part of its curriculum, this is only a fraction of an otherwise predominantly white course. Only learning about American history through white historical figures and a white perspective erases the history of African American people and continues to do harm to marginalized groups.
The pilot AP African American Studies courses began in Aug. 2022. The course would cover topics surrounding Black history and culture in the United States. As per a Vox article, the class would start with early African societies, the transatlantic slave trade, slavery, reconstruction, the Great Migration, and contemporary topics such as the Black Panther party, the Black Lives Matter movement, critical race theory, black feminist theory, cultural appropriation and more. All of these topics provide multiple lenses through which to study history. They educate students on African American history and its intersection with queer studies and feminism, amongst other topics, and help students critically understand and unlearn racism and unconscious biases to form empathy. Governor DeSantis and Florida state education officials were quick to dismiss this content. As per a New York Times article, they expressed it “was not historically accurate and violated a state law that regulates how race-related issues are taught in public schools.” Disregarding any history that doesn't center around whiteness further pushes white-centric content as the only thing worth teaching students.
In the new draft of the course’s curriculum post revision, Vox chronicles how topics such as “enslavement in Africa,” and “African Americans and the U.S. occupation of Haiti” were removed in accordance with the Board’s claim of the materials being too dense. According to another New York Times article, “Black Lives Matter, incarceration, queer life and the debate over reparations — is downgraded. The subjects are no longer part of the exam, and are simply offered on a list of options for a required research project.” Additionally, according to Vox, “the organization also added “Black conservatism” as a new recommended topic for the capstone project” and removed “the Black feminist movement and womanism.” This halts classroom discussion and learning about intersectionality. Often, if feminist texts and feminist history are taught in school it only uplifts women who are white and excludes women of color, queer women or trans women. Discarding a curriculum that includes Black and queer people shows how little the American government values anyone who is not a cis, white person. It shows how the United States only allows white stories to be told. The choices to remove contemporary issues from the course are alarming. It is vital to have students read from queer and feminist Black writers, especially for students who identify as such. Furthermore, it is equally as important to teach these topics in classes for students who don’t identify with these groups so all students can learn about lives that differ from their own.
High school students have lived through the Black Lives Matter protests and witnessed or experienced racism in their lives. This increases the importance of studying African American history and its continued relevance today. Students can be the harbingers of change, but an important step to doing so is understanding the history behind these current events. An article for NBC Philadelphia discusses how the “Humanity of Blackness” is often ignored in history classes: “Educators also say there’s more to Black history than just teaching about oppression and suffering, and that curriculums need to incorporate lessons on Black ‘agency, joy, love and global connection with Blackness around the world,’ … LaGarrett King, director of the Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education at the University of Missouri [said].” There is so much to Black history, and this AP class is a chance for students to learn about topics that are so often glossed over.
The impact of this class cannot be ignored. In an article by NPR, they highlight students who are taking the pilot version of the class, which is offered in 60 public schools across the country: “For Malina Ouyang, 17, taking the class helped fill gaps in what she has been taught. ‘Taking this class,’ she said, ‘I realized how much is not said in other classes.’” The feedback from students has been positive overall, with students expressing how the course content is important to them, so it’s upsetting how Florida’s government chooses to ignore the actual impacts of the course and how the College Board decided to follow through on course revisions.
There is little point in teaching an AP African American Studies class if it doesn’t even cover important issues that occur today and doesn’t include Black queer and feminist voices. If schools do not teach the history of marginalized and oppressed groups, students will not be able to understand why certain social constructs exist. Black students should be able to learn about these topics to see themselves represented in this country. It allows students to learn about events, people, laws and more from different perspectives and better understand how racism is deeply rooted in America and still thrives today. Creating an AP course that dives deeply into African American history is a large and fundamental step in making sure students receive a well-rounded education, especially when it comes to this country’s history.
