AP African American Studies: Reactions in the U.S. & Minnesota

Graphic by Kaci Kopf

In partnership with the University of Notre Dame and Tuskegee University (a HBCU), the College Board has been developing curriculum for a new class: AP African American Studies. According to the College Board, the course will teach students about the African diaspora and bring more attention to African-American history, discussing topics like the Harlem Renaissance, Black Panthers, and lesser-known African-American activists like Valerie Thomas. Although only slated for launch worldwide in August 2024, the course has been the subject of a lot of controversy in the U.S.

Pilot Program

Before its worldwide launch, AP African American Studies has been offered to a small group of high school students through an expanding pilot program. Starting with only 11 schools during the 2019-2020 school year, then 60 schools during the 2022-2023 school year, the course is set to be available in 200 schools for the 2023-2024 school year. The following year, starting August 2024, the course will be offered worldwide. 

Support for the Course

Advocates argue that the course will attract African American students to AP programs and boost minority AP scores, since only 32% of Black students passed AP exams in 2019 compared to 65% of white students. AP African American Studies students may also attract more Black and Latino high school teachers, a highly underrepresented group in public schools. In fact, during the 2017-2018 school year, nearly 80% of U.S. public school teachers identified as non-Hispanic white, despite only 47% of the public elementary and secondary school population being white. Other than the positive effects this course could have on the Black community, this course provides the opportunity for all students to better understand African American history and become more culturally aware. 

Controversy

Although the course has received its fair share of criticism throughout the U.S., Florida governor Ron DeSantis has perhaps been the most outspoken about it. On January 12, DeSantis sent a letter to the College Board in protest of the course, saying the course is "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value." He went on to say that it would promote “ideological material” and that the course was “historically inaccurate”, despite not having access to the curriculum. DeSantis likely meant that the course is “inexplicably contrary” to Florida’s 2022 Stop Woke Act, which bans teaching critical race theory in schools and workplaces. 

On the other hand, there has been some criticism for the course due to some of the edits made to the curriculum. For example, Black queer studies, intersectionality, and Black Lives Matter were all omitted from more recent iterations of the curriculum. Some believe the curriculum is being diluted to make it more palatable to conservatives and Republican lawmakers. 

Minnesota Reactions

In Minnesota, however, the introduction of the course has been widely accepted. This fall, Hopkins High School will offer AP African American Studies, as will high schools in St. Paul and Edina. In Minnesota, criticism surrounding the course has mostly had to do with the College Board removing controversial topics from the curriculum, as mentioned before. Concerning this issue, Cherise Ayers– principal at St. Paul Central High School– stated that “History is not always comfortable but that doesn’t mean that we should not teach.”