College Board Responds to Florida's Black History Curriculum Comparisons

Last fall, a classroom at Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado was filled with a pile of books for students enrolled in AP African American Studies. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/Getty Images)

By: Adonis Armstrong

The College Board is taking a clear stance, expressing disagreement with the idea that slavery benefited African Americans.

On Thursday July 27th, the organization issued a statement on the subject in response to the comparison of one of its courses to Florida's new curriculum on Black history. “We resolutely disagree with the notion that enslavement was in any way a beneficial, productive, or useful experience for African Americans,” the College Board informed CNN. “Unequivocally, slavery was an atrocity that cannot be justified by examples of African Americans’ agency and resistance during their enslavement.”

Remember when Florida wouldn’t allow that AP African American Studies course because it focused too much on CRT and not enough on history, and the @WhiteHouse lost its mind?

Well, here is one of the standards considered “essential knowledge.”

See it here https://t.co/MFjfBjEFc9 pic.twitter.com/s8boDdYzks

— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) July 27, 2023

The board's response to the comparison occurred following Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, sharing a picture of the organization's AP African American studies course on slavery. “Remember when Florida wouldn’t allow that AP African American Studies course because it focused too much on CRT and not enough on history, and the White House lost its mind? Well, here is one of the standards considered ‘essential knowledge,'” he penned.

Amid the approval of new standards for teaching Black history in Florida's public schools, discussions on the subject have surfaced. As part of the new guidelines, middle school teachers are required to incorporate lessons on how slaves developed skills that could be utilized for personal gain.

In a conversation with the outlet, the College Board acknowledged that some individuals pointed out similarities between its course requirements and Florida's new standards. “Unit two of the current framework includes a discussion about the skills enslaved people brought with them that enslavers exploited as well as other skills developed in America that were valuable to their enslavers,” the board stated. “Enslaved Africans and their descendants used those skills to survive, build community, and create culture in resistance to their oppression.” The organization also mentioned the AP African American studies course “will offer a holistic introduction to the history, literature, and arts of Black people in the United States.”

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