The mere existence of the high school Advanced Placement course in African American Studies has become a political wedge. It was created for two primary reasons: to legitimize Black history as a necessary subject matter in American schools and to reverse the underrepresentation of Black students in AP courses.
Instead, in some states, the course has wandered into the crosshairs of a culture war intent on banning all forms of race-conscious and inclusive education. The College Board, which provides these advanced courses for the country’s intellectually gifted high schoolers, has deemed African American Studies not only as worth studying, but also as a gateway to educational advancement. That point, however, has been lost in the politics of the matter.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration blocked the course in Florida’s public schools after he signed the Stop WOKE Act last year, barring schools from teaching race-inclusive education. Classes that were midway through the year had to abandon the curriculum in January to avoid violating the law.
Not all states are following suit.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said 26 schools in the state will teach the course next year, beyond the single class at a school in Newark. “While the DeSantis Administration stated that AP African American Studies ‘significantly lacks educational value,’” Murphy said in a statement, “New Jersey will stand on the side of teaching our full history.”
What is indisputable amid the debate, however, is the disproportionate lack of Black students in such classes, which can offer significant advances for college-bound students.
Fifteen percent of high school students in the U.S. are Black, but they are only 9% of students enrolled in AP courses, according to the Education Trust, a think tank that proposes solutions to educational inequalities. In a 2020 survey, 40% of Black students said they were interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields…
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