african american studies

On the first day of Black History month, the College Board stripped down AP African American History, removing references to elements of Black history that some called “politicizing” or “woke indoctrination.” This is a part of a national wave to erase and rewrite Black history--which is, by the way, American history. Proposed state legislation in Missouri, as well as laws passed in Iowa and Florida, uses phrases like “parents’ rights” to justify the banning of books and erasing images, stories and history of Black life from the k-12 curriculum. But I would suggest that what we need is more, not less, education on structural racism and Black history.

I teach college students about the history of the American school. My students graduated from high school, performing strongly enough to gain admission to a highly ranked university. Yet they often have a limited understanding of racism and the systemic exclusion of specific groups of people in our history. Many of these students, mostly white and from relatively privileged backgrounds, say that they did not learn enough about Black history. They aren’t happy about it either. They are disappointed in us, disappointed that we are not preparing them for the world they are entering.