African American history, an integral part of America’s story, is once again under siege by conservative forces seeking to curry favor with the twice impeached and 34 times convicted felon and former President Donald Trump. In a controversial decision, Georgia has refused state funding for the newly introduced Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course, forcing some school districts to abandon plans to offer the course to high school students.
Advocates are outraged, claiming that Georgia’s elected school superintendent’s decision echoes similar actions taken in Florida, Arkansas, and other states, aiming to suppress Black history education. “The fact that AP African American studies was removed from our schools is alarming and an injustice to our students who eagerly anticipated taking this course,” State Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn, told reporters. “Erasure of Black history from our schools is not and never will be okay!”
For a class to receive state funding, which pays for teachers’ salaries and instructional materials, the governor must first get the State Board of Education’s approval. Superintendent Richard Woods only approved the AP course without providing a specific reason. Meghan Frick, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education, confirmed the decision, noting that local districts can still fund the course independently and that the state will not deny credit toward graduation. She also mentioned Georgia’s state-designed African American Studies course, approved in 2020, which does not qualify for AP credit.
The AP African American Studies course first garnered national attention in 2023 when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, eyeing a presidential run, vowed to ban the course, claiming it promoted a political agenda. Since 2021, Republican leaders in 44 states have proposed legislation or policies restricting lessons on race and racism, inaccurately targeting ‘critical race theory.’ According to an Education Week analysis, 18 states have enacted such laws since June.
The classroom impact has been profound. Civil rights figures, both historical and contemporary, have been erased from curricula in the name of protecting children’s innocence. The Associated Press noted that books by Black and LGBTQ Black authors have been removed for being deemed ‘divisive.’
According to the Associated Press, Holley, a young Black man and future freshman at the Georgia Institute of Technology, credited the AP course with teaching him about his ancestors’ achievements and inspiring his potential. Despite similar resistance in other Republican-led states, Florida has banned the Disney movie Ruby Bridges, and South Carolina has removed Ta-Nehisi Coates’s memoir Between the World and Me from an AP Language class due to complaints.
Arkansas, which initially denied credit for the AP African American Studies course due to state law compliance concerns, will allow it for credit in the upcoming school year. Some school districts nationwide have also declined to offer it.
In response to conservative criticism, the College Board, which oversees AP courses, removed topics such as Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations, and queer life from the exam. They later included more material on the Tulsa Race Massacre, Black cultural influence on film and sports, and redlining.
Georgia’s refusal to approve the course became public when Gwinnett County, the state’s largest school district, issued a memo canceling plans to offer the course at six high schools, affecting 240 students’ schedules just before the school year begins. “We are committed to offering a comprehensive and inclusive education for each and every student,” Gwinnett County Superintendent Calvin Watts said in a statement. “The 2023–24 AP African American Studies pilot was successful, and we are disappointed that students will neither have the opportunity to take nor receive credit for this innovative college-level course.”
In DeKalb County, rising senior Daniel Herrera, who advocated for the AP class at Dunwoody High School, blamed the cancellation on a “conservatively dominated” Georgia Department of Education. “I think it’s essential for students to remember everybody’s history equally,” Herrera told the Associated Press.
Angela Williams Pitkonen, who was set to teach the class, noted that 100 students had signed up, which is comparable to AP World History enrollment. “There’s no reason not to offer this class,” she said, emphasizing that it would foster understanding and empathy rather than guilt or shame. “I think the old guard may be uncomfortable with the level of empathy they are seeing in their children and grandchildren.”
