This article was originally published in the Manual Redeye, the student newspaper of duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY.
For decades, American high school curricula have disregarded, mishandled and outright refused to acknowledge the topic of African American history. Beginning in the mid-1960s, students at college campuses throughout America protested for the creation and inclusion of African American history classes in the curriculum, an endeavor known as the Black Campus Movement. Years of advocacy resulted in the development of such courses, and with time, the availability of African American history classes increased in higher education — high schools, though, remained underserved.
AP African American Studies, a recent addition to the courses offered in the national Advanced Placement program, marks a new development in the ongoing movement to shed light on the history of African Americans. The class, piloted in 2022, is an in-depth interdisciplinary study of African American history, culture and arts. Students cover topics from the story of the African diaspora in America to the rich history of ancient African civilizations and the diverse culture of African Americans today.
Hundreds of teachers and scholars with expertise in African American history developed the class over the course of a decade. DuPont Manual High School has offered the elective for the past two years. The class is instructed by Tim Holman, a social studies teacher.
“I think it’s an important class because it’s part of history that is often neglected, so it gives voice to the experiences of people that have often been relegated to footnotes and side notes,” Holman said.
Even now, after considerable efforts to create classes that accurately teach a part of history which has been ignored for so long, the curricula of such classes often face censorship. Eighteen states including Florida, Arkansas, and South Carolina have banned or severely restricted the AP African American Studies course. Various lawmakers who oppose the class claim the content will lead to divisions between peers. However, students taking the course at Manual have a different perspective.
“I think POC kids should take this class to learn there is representation in the classroom, you know. But, also, I think that white students should also take the class because they should realize the perspective of their POC friends and how they really view history and the world,” sophomore Jasmine Vong said.
AP African American Studies creates an environment of curiosity and connection as the students develop a comprehensive understanding of history and themselves or the people around them.
“So far in my life, I’ve always taken a history class that focused on one Eurocentric narrative throughout history, and I decided to take AP AFAM so I could get another narrative,” sophomore Justeena Kemp said.
Despite the importance of the course, only three other high schools in Louisville, Kentucky, offer it. A lack of teachers and the controversy surrounding the class can play a role in schools not offering AP African American Studies. Those who oppose the course might consider it dangerous because of the divisions they believe it could create, but the true danger lies in the ignorance fostered by the absence of such classes. Stereotypes and misconceptions are born of a lack of awareness which classes like this one can address.
Students can take action to support AP African American Studies by enrolling in their course if their school provides it, and communicating interest to their school administrators and state lawmakers if their school does not.
With the prominence of misinformation in history, it is essential that people look at the past through a variety of lenses to avoid believing in stereotypes. Education plays a key role in empathy, and AP African American Studies is an eye-opening course that provides students with an environment to become more compassionate and informed citizens in America.