Anyone who looked at the war on “Critical Race Theory” and expected conservatives to stop there hasn’t been paying attention. We’ve now reached a point where Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has completely blocked the teaching of AP African American studies in the state. And there’s a good chance other red states will follow suit if this ends up swinging in DeSantis’ favor.
New Jersey has lined up on the other side of the debate. On Tuesday, New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy announced that his administration will expand AP African American studies from one school to 26.
“New Jersey will proudly teach our kids that Black History is American History,” Murphy said in a statement to NBC News. “While the DeSantis Administration stated that AP African American Studies ‘significantly lacks educational value,’ New Jersey will stand on the side of teaching our full history.”
Symbolically, the announcement matters. The fact that states are willing to call DeSantis out for blatant attempts at erasing the story of Black Americans from the country’s narrative is essential.
However, it’s worth noting a couple of things. First, the vast majority of schools in New Jersey will not be teaching AP African American studies. According to the U.S. World News and Report, there are 445 high schools in the state, only 26 of which will be getting this new pilot AP course.
The decision also doesn’t account for the fact that the College Board appears to have already bowed to outside pressure to remove “controversial” elements from the curriculum. Studying the Black Lives Matter movement, Black feminist and intersectional theory, and Queer liberation have, for the most part, been moved to optional sections of the course.
Making the most significant breakthroughs on Black liberation of the last two decades optional sends a clear message to students that this information isn’t critically important.
Let’s face it, the war over Black history and Black thought is in full swing. And while this move from New Jersey’s governor is undoubtedly relevant, it will take a lot more than two dozen additional classes to push back against the tide.