As part of his campaign to win the MAGA-Republican nomination for President in 2024 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a big show of rejecting the College Board’s AP African-American History Course for high school Seniors. What is the word for such blatant race-baiting grandstanding? Deplorable maybe?
Well, the College Board is as mad as Hell and isn’t going to take it anymore. They have issued this open letter in response where they say . . .
“We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies “lacks educational value.” “
Birtherism worked for Trump. Looks like DeSantis wants to play the same ugly and divisive game.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
African American Studies does not “lack educational value.” African American Studies scares the crap out of racists who want their kids to grow up believing their Confederate daddies were heroes.
I got my entire undergraduate education in Virginia and until I got to college out of state and was doing research for another subject entirely, I had never heard of the Colfax Massacre. It has been described as “the worst instance of racial violence during Reconstruction.” It had multiple consequences for today’s problems yet very few people have ever heard of it. And if you want to make yourself ill, read up on it.
The same is true for the Tulsa Massacre. It happened in 1921 and yet I only heard about it because somebody told Trump that Tulsa wasn’t a good place to hold a rally because of the past history there. They thought it would be asking for more trouble.
How many other massacres have we not heard about in our history classes? Will hearing about them prevent more of them? If it can keep the next generation from flying the Stars and Bars like it was something to be proud of, I think it might.
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Similar experience. Born and raised and schooled in NC. Never heard of the Wilmington massacre and Coup of 1898 until about 5 years ago, about the same time I first heard of the Tulsa massacre.
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True for me too. I should have learned of those in my history classes, and hopefully they are included now, and not just in AP courses.
However, BLMs ravings about disrupting the family and Marxist ideology should be taught only in a balanced discussion. There are plenty of Black scholars who are not Marxists to provide balance. Williams and Sowell would be my choices.
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This seeks to rephrase the old adage that history is written by the winners.
The new one is “history is to be rewritten by the losers so they will be winners”.
Or so it seems.
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RE: “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a big show of rejecting the College Board’s AP African-American History Course for high school Seniors.”
Big show or not, Florida was correct to reject the College Board’s AP product. I looked at it here:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/how-ap-develops-courses-and-exams/pilot-ap-african-american-studies
I was genuinely unimpressed. The Framework is overwhelmingly focused on African slavery in the United States and the political history of the civil rights movement. The material is no doubt important, but it doesn’t merit a distinct African-American studies course, and certainly not one intended for high school students.
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Since this is a voluntary High School AP course, I don’t see much of a problem with it.
I was disappointed to see no mention of the rather large and wealthy Free Negro communities in New Orleans and parts of Florida. On the other hand, I was pleased to see the inclusion of the Black Panther Party’s 2nd Amendment advocacy.
I don’t see anything about the FDOE objections. The College Board’s letter criticizes those objections but doesn’t say what they were.
I was a bit concerned with the references to inclusion of unspecified current “scholarship” as there is a great deal of divisive and Marxist garbage out there that should be avoided, but if the guidelines are adhered to, I don’t find much to object to, again, as a voluntary AP course.
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“I was disappointed to see no mention of the rather large and wealthy Free Negro communities in New Orleans and parts of Florida. On the other hand…”
I believe Rosewood, Greenwood and East St. Louis are covered with regards to free Negro communities.
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Not the point, there were free Negro enclaves in the Deep South as well. That is certainly of historic interest.
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No one said there weren’t.
Those exceptions were notable, and prove the rule. Which is the point.
How many were there out of 4 million slaves before the war? Why were some destroyed by White mobs? Destroyed well after Emancipation into the 20th century?
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AP classes re considered to be “college level” classes, set up for those who wish to attend college after HS. Therefore, the course would absolutely be intended for HS students.
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Of course, it is intended for high school students. But AP courses are college level material that goes beyond the levels of the standard high school curriculum for students ready and willing for a greater intellectual challenge.
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“I was genuinely unimpressed”
Wow!
What a surprise.
So, with too much coverage of slavery and the civil rights movement, what significant part of AFRICAN-AMERICAN history do you feel got short shrift?
And why, pray tell, should high school students not be studying the history of slavery and the civil rights movement? Too much like the dreaded CRT?
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RE: “what significant part of AFRICAN-AMERICAN history do you feel got short shrift?”
In general, I felt the transplantation of African culture to the American context doesn’t get enough attention. Specifically, I would like to see more coverage of black musical history. The Framework has a module that mentions spirituals and work songs, but those topics — apart from being cliche — are just the tip of an iceberg.
RE: “And why, pray tell, should high school students not be studying the history of slavery and the civil rights movement?”
I believe they should. In the Framework, however, I saw little of significance that needed to be covered outside of a competent AP course in U.S. history.
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“In general, I felt the transplantation of African culture . . .”
Well, as the College Board pointed out the materials are a framework with details and emphasis to be left to the individual teachers presenting the course.
The real problem is people – such as you – pretending that this decision by Florida was based on such academic differences of opinion on what to emphasize. It could not be more clear that DeSantis rejecting this course was a political stunt designed to bolster his position in the MAGA movement. As noted at the outset, it is his version of Birtherism.
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RE: “The real problem is people – such as you – pretending that this decision by Florida was based on such academic differences of opinion on what to emphasize.”
Don’t be ridiculous. Florida rejected the Framework. I looked at the Framework for myself and concluded the rejection was merited. I gave my reasons and even answered your questions.
You, however, have done nothing here but post incendiary comments that you can’t substantiate.
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“Incendiary comments” that can’t be substantiated. Isn’t that all he writes?
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I read a different take on this where the board specifically said it had removed CRT, BLM, Black queer history, intersectionality aka white privilege among other unfactual devisive narratives but it looks like they are back. But, but, but…??? That is plenty to reject this course as it isn’t history but an attempt to inject one side of controversial social issues as fact. Stick to only history as in past tense, finished, no more like history is and there would be no problem.
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Here is an even better take on the College Board that Paul holds in such high esteem. They are a private business out to make money not “serve” the community as an altruistic “Board”. They cash in on AP courses and exams. Pathetic.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/02/college-board-ap-florida-curriculum.html
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It took some looking but here is the FDOE list of objections, all from section 4.
It would appear those objections are entirely valid, as they have nothing to do with history and are about current, extremist activism. If there is race baiting to be found, it would appear to be on the part of the College Board.
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“If there is race baiting to be found, it would appear to be on the part of the College Board.”
Stuff and nonsense. Who are they “baiting?” Poor oppressed white people who have no chance to get ahead in woke America I suppose.
Not history? Unit 4 covers the period from 1960 to the present. That IS history.
The “concerns” expressed at your link are a joke. FDOE has scoured the internet to find out-of-context quotes from the authors of suggested – but not required – books. If you cannot see for yourself how spurious these “concerns” are, then you have drunk the white oppression anti-woke Kool-aid these people are peddling.
This is a serious subject to be studied at a university level of seriousness. The course was developled with input from more than 300 college professors workin in this field. It may not be to your liking, but that does not make it “race baiting” by the College Board.
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Florida’s law excludes divisive content, which these items certainly are.
If you don’t like it, move to FL and run for office.
For my perspective, any reading list that includes Marxists like Angela Davis and BLM, but excludes Walter E Williams and Thomas Sowell is propaganda, not education.
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“Florida’s law excludes divisive content, which these items certainly are.”
A lot of history – if not all – is “divisive content” to someone. But, you have identified the problem. It is now illegal in Florida schools to teach something that someone says is “divisive.” And what is worse, those deciding what is “divisive” are going to be people just like you with the same hate-filled attitudes you proudly exhibit all the time.
Angela Davis is a significant historical figure. Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell are not.
And I cannot help but notice you have again slandered the historically significant and non-violent BLM movement with your “Marxist” bullshit. Not surprising. A product of those hate-filled attitudes referenced above.
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BLM’s website is openly Marxist and anti-family.
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“BLM’s website is openly Marxist and anti-family.”
Because you say so?
Or are you just extra special good at spreading racist smears dreamed up by someone else?
But, whatever website or individual you are referring to, the tens of millions of people who make up the movement are not Marxist and are not anti-family. They are just people who believe in the American dream and the ideal of liberty and justice for all.
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No, it is entirely race baiting but being a good left wing extremist you see CRT nonsense as good pandering material. Babble, cry and blubber all you want for “forgiveness” from extremist blacks but they don’t care unless you are paying. Well have fun but the rest of us aren’t joining you.
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Okay, I will play along. How is this course “race baiting?”
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Oh please, reread the objections, click your heels three times, say OH, that is race baiting and come back to earth.
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“Oh please, reread the objections . . .”
You declare a course to be race-baiting but cannot say how.
Maybe you do not want to express your only logical answer as to why you say the course is race-baiting would be to say . . “I am white and you cannot study history or ideas that make me uncomfortable.”
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The course itself would not qualify as ‘race-baiting’ but the statement the College Board made about Florida’s rejection certainly was.
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So Florida declares that the material about the African-American experience prepared by dozens of college professors and tested and refined over several years “lacks educational value” but it is race baiting for the College Board to defend its work and set the record straight about its process? Maybe you can clarify what is race-baiting about that?
Or, you could acknowledge that your charge of “race baiting” against the College Board was ill advised. I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
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“Race baiting” may not have been the best description. It was Woke, arrogant, partisan and dishonest.
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“It was Woke, arrogant, partisan and dishonest.”
How was the FDOE “woke” in its denunciation of the course? The rest, you got right.
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Isn’t it funny that every time a liberal claims “its only history”, the details are quite the opposite. Dealing with Democrats is akin to dealing with a used car salesman, you had better have whatever checked out and always read the fine print because more than likely its a cover up.
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