Censoring radical roots

Quality education is once more under attack in America. 

The College Board has buckled under the political pressure and complaints of Gov. DeSantis of Florida, and has recently stripped their AP African American studies course of many topics. 

The revisions have purged many of the most important topics. Lessons of Black Lives Matter, a movement that sparked discussion across the globe has been made optional. While others were removed entirely. Topics include reparation studies, Black feminism, the queer experience and critical race theory. 

Brandi Waters, senior director of AP African American studies for the College Board asserted that she “would tell students this is the most coherent narrative of African American history, culture, politics and legal studies that I’ve seen for high school students.”

DeSantis’s crusade against the leaked early draft of the pilot program was only an opening gambit in his administration’s bid to totally ban “ideological conformity” in higher education. Which is worrying, when many of his more extreme bills are in a run-up to his assumed Presidential bid. 

DeSantis’ administration took these revisions for the win they seem to be. 

“We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend,” Alex Lanfranconi, director of communications for the Florida Department of Education, said. 

CEO David Coleman, on the other hand, was quick to assure both students and faculty that the timing and changes were “just a coincidence.” Coleman further stated he regrets any misunderstandings. “We are devoted to these notions of access and freedom.”

College Board officials have stated they have documents proving any and all changes were made in December, placing them a month before Florida’s Department of Education sent the letter whining about the curriculum, and stating it would be banned statewide if no changes were made. 

Officials continued on to say that the content was “quite dense” already and that they routinely omit any secondary reading from their courses. 

Officials say the lesson plan is molded by careful consideration of feedback from the teachers piloting the course. The course explores content on Africa, slavery, reconstruction and the civil rights movement. 

And while contemporary topics like the Black Lives Matter movement are acceptable forms of research for a paper, those topics usually count for very little, and will not have a place on the final exam.

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