In August 2023, Sierra Vista High School began to offer AP African American Studies class created by College Board. This will serve as a secondary course to the African American Experience class created by Mr. Kenneth Brown. In the African American Experience elective, students examine the contributions of African American literature, art, architecture, music, dance, history, and philosophy, as well as appreciation of all cultures and their contributions to society.
Advanced Practice African American Studies is not just new to Vista, but new to all schools across the country. The class has been piloted by 60 schools across the United States in 2022, and hundreds of schools across the United States in 2023. The class focuses on learning about the African diaspora, expanding upon the African American history that is taught in regular social studies classes.
Mr. Kenneth Brown, AP African American Studies Teacher, adds, “African American History is World History. It is also American History, just through the prism of the black experience. I think that as people that have helped to build the country, yet at the same time are not given the same stake to the country. I think it is absolutely essential to learn these particular perspectives and what these people did in history not just for people who look like them, but actually for the health and prosperity of our country as a whole.”
AP African American Studies begins its curriculum at the very origins in Africa, covering the complex ancient societies that arose from the continent, then moving to the slave trade, and then the African diaspora in the United States. The course highlights the accomplishments and resilience that African Americans had in the face of adversity across history.
The subject matter of the class sparked national controversy, most notably in the state of Florida. The course has been changed for the 2023-24 school year due to political pressures, and consequently removed several topics from the course such as: the Black Lives Matter movement, slavery reparations, and queer life (AP 04/24/2023). Florida’s Department of Education rejected AP African American Studies due to concerns that it indoctrinates students to a “political agenda.”
Mr. Arthur Gamboa, English Department Chair and AP Literature and Composition teacher of Sierra Vista High School, expands on censorship in education explaining, “This curriculum rubs people the wrong way which tells us it’s important enough to study, to learn. I think it’s important for all students to know and understand how it is that we came to be where we are in the United States. It’s important to have an understanding on a basic level and high school is a perfect place to have that, so if Florida does not want to acknowledge the realities of American history with all its blessings and its curses, then they’re just shortchanging, not only their students, but the realities of what the United States is by definition.”
The course elevates students’ understanding of not only African American history, but an understanding of others, themselves, and their own cultural history.
Aymen Awol (12), a student taking AP African American Studies, explains his choice to take this course, “As I lived in Ethiopia during my formative years, this class allows me to learn about a section of the world that defines my origin and family history. I am able to better understand the significance of my culture in a much more representative curriculum that teaches deep African history beyond slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. Few classes feature as much involvement and relevance to students as AP African American Studies. Because the class demographic is dominantly black, we are able to contribute to lessons with our own personal experiences and opinions, as well as how the lessons reflect our family culture and history.”
Habeniom Woldabyezgi (12), adds “I took AP African American Studies as a way to learn more about the culture in which my history comes from while also having a course that I felt could properly challenge me.”
Amira Bostic (12), says “It would be underwhelming to point to one particular reason for why APAAS is important to me. Of course it matters to me because I’m a young, educated black woman dwelling in a system that was never made for me, but to be informed is my biggest priority. Knowledge is power and power should be held in the hands of those worth to put into action. Ignorance is not acceptable anymore and I always strive to find the truth behind the country I’m living in. APAAS is not just a class for black people, it’s a class for all people.”
African American history is a story that has not been widely told in its entirety. African American history is more than the struggle that African Americans faced, but a story that displays the strength and bond of humans in the face of danger and racial oppression.
For students to take African American Experience, they must have a “C” or better in their previous English course. Similarly, in order for students to take AP African American Studies, they must have a “C” or better in African American Experience.
All schools can begin offering AP African American Studies for the 2024-2025 school year.
