National Black Justice Coalition Criticizes The College Board’s Decision to Capitulate to Governor Ron DeSantis’ Extremist Anti-Black Demands, Censor Black LGBTQ+ Content
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
Says Abandoning Discussions of Issues Facing Black Americans Will Hurt Students, Validate GOP Push to Erase Minorities From Public Life; Urges College Board to Pull All AP Offerings from Florida Schools and Protect the Integrity of Education
FLORIDA – This morning, on the first day of Black History Month, the College Board released a new official curriculum for its Advanced Placement course in African American studies that stripped much of the contemporary political matter that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cited in rejecting the course for Florida schools. Specifically, the College Board removed topics of critical race theory, Black Lives Matter, Black feminism, and the Black LGBTQ+/Same-Gender Loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) experience from the curricula. Additionally, the College Board removed Black writers and scholars associated with those movements.
In reaction to the College Board’s announcement, Dr. David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a leading national Black LGBTQ+/SGL civil rights organization, issued the following statement:
“To wake up on the first day of Black History Month to news of white men in positions of privilege horse trading essential and inextricably linked parts of Black History, which is American history, is infuriating. The assault on my existence feels like gaslighting. The distortions of fact-based truths and suppression of how beautifully diverse Black people have built this country for free should infuriate everyone who purports to care about democracy. The lives, contributions, and stories of Black trans, queer, and non-binary/non-conforming people matter and should not be diminished or erased. Black history has always been queer. You cannot teach Black history while erasing members of our community and the contributions made to our community and this country.
“The College Board’s decision to capitulate to Governor Ron DeSantis’ extremist anti-Black censorship demands, stripping the AP African American studies course of key content about contemporary Black history, is an insult to the lived experiences of millions of Black Americans throughout our country today. It’s an insult to any researcher who devoted their time, talent, and treasures to the rigorous pursuit of a Ph.D., especially those studying American History, African Studies, and African American History. The move and the political posturing surrounding the College Boards’ capitulation is disrespectful to the educators they’ve engaged over the years to develop the pilot curriculum; it undermines the integrity of the AP program and will weaken democracy. Moreover, it insults all Black people, our ancestors, and our legacy.
“Let’s be clear, neither Governor Ron DeSantis’ objections nor the College Board’s capitulation has anything to do with what is best for our students. Educators know that when students are given more information and learn more about the experiences of others, they grow up to be more well-rounded and thoughtful adults. This effort to censor AP African American history is a politically motivated decision to erase people from public life while boosting a political base fueled by ignorance, fear, and hate. It’s what Black feminists refer to as maintaining the matrix of domination—the signs, systems, and symbols that make white male patriarchal supremacy omnipresent yet hyper invisible. It’s the exact opposite of how we find freedom, liberty, or happiness.
“Why is the College Board, a membership organization of more than 6,000 leading educational institutions founded in 1900, ceding power to Governor DeSantis to write curricula for schools throughout the country?
“We urge the College Board to reconsider censoring its curriculum and the education of our young people to meet the demands of a Governor with a radical political agenda and stand firm in the belief that Black history in its beautiful diversity is American History. We urge the College Board to consider pulling all AP classes from the State of Florida if Governor DeSantis continues to try to inject his political agenda into our classrooms.”
“Our children deserve better. Our country deserves better.”
Last week, Dr. Johns, the former executive director of President Obama’s White House initiative on African American Education Excellence, published an op-ed in Newsweek with Professor Ivory Toldson, Howard University, condemning Florida’s education inequities.
As a part of its efforts to push back against the College Board and Gov. DeSantis’ decisions, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and other Black LGBTQ+/Same-Gender Loving leaders launched the #BlackHistoryQueerAF digital campaign. The campaign amplifies Black LGBTQ+/SGL people throughout Black History Month and pushes back on recent attempts to erase and prevent our children from learning about our history. We want to remind everyone that American history is Black history, and Black history is queer af. During the month, we will be posting videos and digital assets on our digital platforms—@NBJContheMove and our Ubuntu Biography Project website www.beenhere.org—highlighting different members of our community who have and are making history.
