Restrictions, changes to AP African American Studies

by Gloria Liu staff reporter

Recently, the College Board launched a new AP curriculum high schoolers can take: AP African American Studies. Through this course, high school students can learn about the four units: Origins of the African Diaspora, Freedom, Enslavement and Resistance, The Practice of Freedom, and Movements and Debates related to African American history. Additionally, the units cover topics such as how Black activists and writers handled racism, the history of Black universities, redlining and Black migration to the U.S.

experience other cultures is through language courses and so I think with [African American Studies], it gives you another opportunity to explore other cultures,” said sophomore Alaina Pundsack. Pundsack explains that it is hard to learn about other cultures at school, but with the African American studies course offered, students at Mounds View are able to learn more about African American culture.

Many Mounds View teachers hold a similar opinion. “I think all ethnic studies and getting them introduced to so many different stories is so important because we live the white cultured life,” said Jenna Claflin, social studies teacher.

Along with the spread of culture, Mounds View students believe it is important for other reasons too. “I think that African American history is also U.S. history and it really shows what happened during that time of enslavement,” said sophomore Elilta Gaim.

where we can make it cover the U.S. History credit, it would have to be an elective,” said Claflin.

This appearance would be received well by many students. “I think that having an AP version is important because there’s an AP version of U.S. History so why shouldn’t there be one for African American History? I think that it is good to add because it can go more indepth if you are interested in the topic,” said sophomore Zoe Saxton. Saxton describes the reason why it is vital to provide this choice to the students at Mounds View.

AP African American Studies is a welcomed course by many Mounds View students and staff. The diverse perspectives offered to the course options offered to students are just some of the reasons offering the course could benefit Mounds View. However, with the precedent set by Florida’s ban, the future remains uncertain.

After the proposal of adding this AP class to the list of courses the College Board will offer, Florida has taken action to ban this course from its high schools. The Florida Department of Education believes that the class will indoctrinate the students into a “political agenda.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis describes this saying “education is about the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of ideology or the advancement of a political agenda.” After the backlash from Florida politicians like DeSantis, the College Board edited the framework of the curriculum making changes such as removing the section on Black Queer Studies and making the topic of Black Lives Matter optional.

Many students at Mounds View disagree with the action those in Florida have taken, citing the benefits of such a class. “I feel like the only time we as teenagers

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In the future, the AP African American studies course might make an appearance at Mounds View. “So we’ve put in an application here to have the pilot here in the future and I do think so but the only tough thing is that it won’t be like regular African American History

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