College Board Accuses Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of “PR Stunt” in Rejecting AP African American Studies Course

In August 2022, the College Board, a national nonprofit responsible for college readiness programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, announced the introduction of an AP African American studies course to its curriculum. Initially meant to provide mature students with a modern, in-depth education on race in U.S. history, the course was set to cover topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement and queer Black studies.

Five months into its first round of piloting the course for high school students, the College Board has now released a letter going after Gov. Ron DeSantis for what they call a “PR stunt” in attacking and at least tentatively refusing to participate in the College Board’s new African-American Studies AP course. The letter claims that the course has been reduced to what many call a “watered-down” version of U.S. history.

In January, Florida’s Department of Education sent a letter to the College Board rejecting the course. The College Board claims that the changes to the course were already in the works and that DeSantis jumped in front of the announcement, taking credit for getting the Board to de-wokenize its offering in the face of DeSantis’s iron will.

The College Board has faced criticism in the past for its college readiness programs, but this incident has raised questions about the organization’s commitment to providing an in-depth education on race in U.S. history. It remains to be seen how the College Board will respond to the criticism and whether the course will be restored to its original form.