According to a list of issues released to CNN on Friday by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ office, Florida rejected a planned Advanced Placement course focused on African American Studies because it covered subjects including the Movement for Black Lives, Black feminism, and reparations.
The Florida Department of Education’s one-page report criticizes the inclusion of several Black authors and historians whose works have discussions of Black communism and critical race theory. For instance, the state disagrees with the outcome of UCLA professor of American history Robin D.G. Kelley, who “warns that simply establishing safe spaces and renaming campus buildings does nothing to overthrow capitalism,” according to the document.
The state further stated that there is “no critical perspective or balancing opinion in this lesson” about the reparations argument, which seeks to pay Black Americans for slavery and other historical tragedies and unjust deeds.
“All points and resources in this study advocate for reparations,” the document said.
An 81-page syllabus from February 2022 supported the state’s claims regarding the course. Six study topics, all covered in the fourth and final unit when students study “Movements and Debates,” are objected to in the list of issues.
An objection to the study of “The Black Power Movement and The Black Panther Party” was included in an earlier draft of the concerns that DeSantis’ office forwarded to CNN. According to the draft version, the Black Panther Party (BPP) was founded on Marxism-Leninism. The BPP sought to alter or topple the American government substantially. However, the Black Panther Party allusions were deleted and replaced in an updated version of the state’s concerns with a protest against the study of “Black Queer Studies.”
The College Board, which manages the Advanced Placement program, was notified by the state Department of Education on January 12 that the course was illegal under Florida law and that Florida institutions should not offer it.
The first-of-its-kind course was initially introduced in the fall as a trial in roughly 60 schools and will be available across the country beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year. It is a multidisciplinary study of the African American diaspora that has been created over the past ten years and covers literature, the arts, science, politics, and geography.
In an earlier statement to CNN, the College Board declined to comment directly on the Florida ruling. Still, it said, “We look forward to offering this rich and inspirational investigation of African-American history and culture to students across the country.”
It was only a short period of time between when @GlennYoungkin used the CRT lies to help get elected to when @GovRonDeSantis and Florida rejects AP African American studies course because it “lacks educational value.”
— John McLaughlin (@je_mclaughlin) January 21, 2023
According to DeSantis’ office, the state will review its choice if the course is modified to conform with Florida law.
The state has outlawed the teaching of critical race theory under DeSantis, whose popularity among conservatives has grown significantly across the country due to his outspoken statements on contentious cultural matters and who is said to be considering a 2024 presidential run. Last year, it took action to outlaw teaching that implies anyone is privileged or underprivileged based on their race or skin color.
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