The NAACP Will Not Tolerate Florida DOE's Reprehensible Whitesplaining of Black Studies and Neither Should the College Board
The NAACP is outraged by the Florida Department of Education's recent "whitesplaining" of Black history and culture. It was clear from the onset that the DeSantis administration's decision to reject the College Board's African American Studies AP course was an attempt to whitewash history and ignore the experiences and contributions of Black people in America. Unfortunately, the DOE's further clarification document has made matters worse spreading harmful misinformation about the AP course specifically, and Black studies in general. It is clear that the DeSantis administration will use deceit and propaganda to deny Black Floridians the opportunity to learn about topics that are unpopular to the far-right fringe. The College Board must take swift and decisive action to ensure that this does not happen.
The DOE claims that the AP African-American Studies course violates Florida law by including topics such as intersectionality, the movement for Black lives, and reparation - effectively whitesplaining Black studies.
The Department of Education's attempt to restrict the teaching of AP African-American studies is a dangerous politicization of curriculum. This narrow interpretation of Florida law contradicts principles of academic freedom and autonomy in determining what to teach in classrooms. It shows a willful misunderstanding of African-American studies by deliberately ignoring the most important issues that this field encompasses. The move to censor topics like intersectionality, the movement for Black lives, and reparations is nothing more than an assault on African-American history and worldviews - effectively whitesplaining topics that are integral to the development of American history, culture, and identity.
The College Board, which creates and administers the Advanced Placement (AP) program, must take swift action to make sure FL does not whitewash the curriculum they designed with the help of respectable Black scholars.
The Advanced Placement (AP) program created and administered by the College Board is a vital part of the educational curriculum in the United States. The pilot AP African American Studies course has been designed with the help of respectable Black scholars, which makes it even more imperative for the College Board to take swift action to ensure that Florida does not distort it for its own motives. The modifications proposed by the DeSantis administration would be a disservice to those who initially developed the coursework, and would ultimately misinform students about important historical events related to Black history and culture. Furthermore, this would also disadvantage any student taking the course by giving them inaccurate information. It is crucial that the College Board intervenes immediately to avoid these damaging outcomes.
The NAACP is demanding that the Florida DOE and College Board take swift action to rectify this unjust situation.
Under the leadership of President Adora Nweze, the Florida State Conference of the NAACP will have a quarterly meeting and press conference on protecting Florida's students from government overreach on Saturday, January 28th at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. Only by taking matters into our own hands can we hope to overcome these systematic attempts to erase our history and contribute to a more just and equitable society for all.
Florida's current agenda of political interference in the AP African American studies curriculum directly conflicts with the values of equity, fairness, and justice. The College Board should remain covenant to real, honest education that is based on facts instead of giving into the demands of a racist agenda. Allowing this regression in Floridan education would be a massive step backwards for civil rights and equality throughout the state and nation. Therefore, it is imperative that immediate action be taken to prevent this injustice from being perpetuated.