AP’s African American Studies course changed after DeSantis criticism

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The official curriculum for a new advanced placement course in African American studies downplays some elements that have drawn criticism from conservatives, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had threatened to ban the class in his state.

In the framework released Wednesday, topics such as Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer living are not part of the review. They are only included on a sample list that states and school systems can choose from for student projects.

The course is currently being tested in 60 schools across the United States, and official documents are intended to guide its expansion to hundreds more high schools over the next school year. The College Board, which oversees AP courses, said the developers consulted with professors from more than 200 colleges, including several historically black institutions.

The rejection of the course by DeSantis, a Republican, has sparked a new political debate about how schools teach about race.

In January, the state released a chart saying the course promotes the idea that modern American society oppresses blacks, other minorities and women, includes a chapter on Black Queer studies that the administration finds inappropriate and uses articles criticizing capitalism. The Florida Department of Education told the College Board it would ban the course unless changes were made.

Emmitt Glynn, who teaches the course, says he is proud to see the students making connections between past and present. PA

DeSantis, a potential Republican candidate for president in 2024, said he is blocking the course in Florida because he is pushing a political agenda.

In the state of Florida, our education standards not only do not prevent, but they require teaching black history, all the important stuff. It’s part of our core program, DeSantis said at a news conference last week. We want education, not indoctrination.

In a written statement Wednesday, College Board CEO David Coleman said the course was a seamless encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture.

One student called the political controversy surrounding the course a “distraction”. PA

No one is excluded from this journey: black artists and inventors whose achievements have been revealed; black women and men, including gay Americans, who played central roles in civil rights movements; and believers from all walks of life who have contributed to anti-slavery and civil rights causes. Everyone is seen, he said. Black History Advanced Placement Class Rejected in Florida Spreads Elsewhere An advanced placement course in African American studies rejected by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being tested in 60 schools nationwide. Students at Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana say it’s a welcome change of perspective from other courses.

Among the schools piloting the new course is Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana. So many students were interested in the course at Baton Rouge High School, Emmitt Glynn teaches it to two classes, instead of just the one he originally planned.

At the beginning of the week, his students read extracts from Les Miserables de la Terre by Frantz Fanon, which deals with the violence inherent in colonial societies. During a lively discussion, students connected the text to what they had learned about the conflict between colonizers and Native Americans, the war in Ukraine, and police violence in Memphis, Tennessee.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently blocked the teaching of the AP Black History course in Florida high schools. PA

We’ve covered the full range of coasts from Africa to where we are now in the 1930s, and we’ll continue through history, Glynn said. He said he is proud to see the connections his students make between the past and the present.

For 17-year-old Malina Ouyang, taking the course helped fill in the gaps in what she learned. By taking this course, she says, I realized everything that is not said in the other courses.

Matthew Evans, 16, said the class educated him on a multitude of perspectives on black history. He said political controversy is just a diversion.

Every time you want to try to silence something, you’ll only make someone want to know more, he said.

The College Board offers AP courses across the academic spectrum, including math, science, social studies, foreign languages, and fine arts. Classes are optional. Taught at the college level, students who score high enough on the final exam usually earn course credit at their university.

The African American Studies course is divided into four units: Origins of the African Diaspora; freedom, enslavement and resistance; the practice of freedom; and movements and debates.

In the Malcolm Reeds classroom at St. Amant High School in Louisiana, where he teaches the AP class, he tries to be aware of how materials and discussions can affect students.

I give them the information and I saw light bulbs go out. I ask them, how does this affect you? How do you feel learning this? he said. It’s also new to me, and I’m taking it head-on. Were not only learning history, but making history.

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