After the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, the College Board brought up the necessity for an AP course on African American history. Recently, the College Board released the first framework for the topics that would be taught in the course. These topics led to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banning the course in Florida schools.

DeSantis believes that the course and its topics were not about learning about African American History but pushing a political agenda.

“We believe in teaching kids facts and how to think, but we don’t believe they should have an agenda imposed on them,” Gov. DeSantis said, calling the course indoctrination.

Although DeSantis does not believe this particular course has a place in Florida education, he still believes in African American history being taught in the ‘right’ way.

“Florida law still requires the study of African American history in schools, from slavery through abolition to the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society,” said Gov. DeSantis.

After the recent backlash from the Florida education system, the College Board has revised the topics and has taken out the names of many Black writers and scholars associated with Critical Race Theory, the queer experience, and Black feminism. It also removed political topics such as Black Lives Matter.

Many critics of the College Board feel as if they gave in to the political pressure from DeSantis, but the College Board has come out since and denied these claims by saying that their changes were strictly routine.

The class still is an important part of the AP curriculum in the years going forward. The class teaches African American history mostly up to 1965. The goal of AP African American history is to connect students to the past through theory according to the College Board. 

The College Board hopes that through all the controversy surrounding the course, it will still achieve its goal of furthering African American education in high schools.