‘I view it as American history’: DeSantis rejects ‘ideology’-laced African American History course
JACKSONVILLE (FLV) – At a press conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis explained why his administration rejected the College Board’s AP African American History course.
Responding to a reporter’s question about the issue, DeSantis said the course taught that abolishing prisons is linked to the “black experience.”
“Now, that’s a, that’s a radical political position. You’re free to take that in your own life. I don’t think very many people would think that that would actually work, but how is that being taught as fact to be able to do that?” he said. “And I also think it’s not fair to say that somehow abolishing prisons is somehow linked to like black experience and that’s what black people want.”
“I think they want law in order, just like anybody else wants law and order,” he said.
DeSantis said the class is being used as an “ideology” that’s “under the guise of history.”
“We want to do history,” he said. “That’s what our standards for, for black history are. It’s just cut and dried history. You learn all the basics, you learn about the great figures and you know, I view it as American history. I don’t view it as separate history.”
“As submitted, the course is a vehicle for a political agenda and leaves large, ambiguous gaps that can be filled with additional ideological material, which we will not allow,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said on the rejection of the course. “As Governor DeSantis has stated, our classrooms will be a place for education, not indoctrination.”
FDOE told the College Board in a letter that it can come back to the table with “lawful, historically accurate content” and the department will be willing to reopen the discussion.
The letter did not point out specific examples, however, the AP African American Studies syllabus includes critical race theory topics such as intersectionality. Intersectionality says that categories such as race, class, and gender overlapped create systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Topics such as “colorblindness” are discussed. One of the books listed that would “likely” be examined during the course includes “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” The book’s online summary argues that the U.S. criminal justice system “functions as a contemporary system of racial control– relegating millions to a permanent second-class status.”
Eduardo Bonilla-Silva created a concept which refers to “to societies in which economic, political, social, and ideological levels are partially structured by the placement of actors in racial categories or races.” A summary Bonilla-Silva’s book “White Supremacy & Racism in the Post-Civil Rights Era” talks about white privilege in institutions and “color-blind racism” leaving black Americans “at the bottom of the well.”
Other “core concepts” students would be taught include “racial capitalism” and “structural racism.” Racial capitalism is the concept that argues “the development, organization and expansion of capitalist society pursued essentially racial directions.”
In a statement to the Associated Press, the College Board explained the African American studies class is still in development and its content is subject to change with input from a variety of sources. The Board said the new program would be tested in 60 schools before offering it nationwide. They described the course as featuring elements of literature, arts, humanities, political science, geography and science.
“The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result,” the College Board’s statement read.
“Like all new AP courses, AP African American Studies is undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers,” the College Board said.
“Governor DeSantis has continually advocated for and ensured Florida’s schools utilize accurate, historical curriculum, including curriculum that factually portrays African American History,” Griffin said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the “Stop WOKE” legislation earlier this year. It bans educators and workplace employers from teaching Floridians that their “moral character” is determined by race, sex, or national origin. The bill also aims to prohibit corporations from mandating employees go through Critical Race Theory training.
The legislation is currently facing a court battle.
The Governor’s Office cited HB 1213 that was signed into law in 2020. It requires Florida students learn about Ocoee Massacre. Florida law requires students learn about African American history in K-12 education. The Governor’s Office provided the Florida statute outlining what students should learn within their K-12 education.
