When Mr. Tim Holman (Social Studies) was approached with the idea to bring a course called AP African American Studies to duPont Manual High School two years ago, he saw it as the perfect opportunity. Because he already taught a similar class at Manual, Developing Black Historical Consciousness, Holman had previous experience with the topic.
College Board describes AP African American Studies as “an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources. Students explore key topics that extend from early African kingdoms to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary moment.”
Introduced at Manual at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the class operates differently from many AP classes, presenting students with a variety of forms of media to study. They examine many historical texts, paintings, poems, and photographs throughout the year.
“So it is taught in a historical narrative, however, it is an interdisciplinary course. We’ve also discussed perhaps listing it as a humanities course because there’s so much of an integration of music and art and other other things. It’s not enough just to know what Booker T [Washington] did. We actually want to hear what he had to say,” Holman said.
Naomi Miller (10, HSU) is one of Holman’s students currently enrolled in AP African American Studies, and is familiar with the unique nature of the course.
“It’s interesting stuff. It’s not like a normal social studies [class] that’s really boring. It’s actually interesting stuff that you can kind of relate to now,” Miller said.
Miller learned of the class from a friend and fellow member of Manual’s soccer team, and had heard generally positive things about it going in. However, because of the unique nature of the course, she didn’t know much about what all the class would entail.
“I knew they talked about African kingdoms, but I didn’t know what about. I just knew they talked about developing generational wealth, but I didn’t know that much,” Miller said.
Overall, there is a stark lack of quality African American history education, or any African American history education at that, across the United States. While many schools do touch on some of this history, few have specialized courses, and those that do often lack the proper resources to give the courses enough quality and rigor.
College Board and Holman look to change that with AP African American Studies.
“A majority of students in Jefferson County are non-white and a lot of traditional history has excluded a lot of marginalized people. So for a lot of kids, this is the first time really being in a class where they one, are a majority, and two, are hearing about things that are especially relevant to their lived experiences,” Holman said.
Piloted in 2022, AP African American Studies has come under fire and even been banned in Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina due to its race-related content. Under the new Trump administration, the longevity of the course remains in question, as he has already announced plans to eliminate federal funding to K-12 schools that support or teach gender and Critical Race Theory.
The future of AP African American Studies is, for now, uncertain. However, as it stands currently, the course provides a unique opportunity to take a deep dive into the history of a marginalized group, from the ancient kingdoms of Africa to the civil rights movement of 1950s America.
“A lot of world history focuses on European and Asian history. I think it’s really important to also get African history because Africa has been around, the people have been developed there just as long as anywhere else. I think you should definitely take it,” Miller said.
During Black History Month, but also year-round, it’s important to provide students with a complete and accurate history of our world and the role that African Americans play in it. AP African American Studies is bringing our youth one step closer to this goal.
