SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is expanding the number of high schools offering an Advanced Placement African American Studies course from one to 26 next school year.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement in Newark on Tuesday, saying this will give students the opportunity to learn about the innumerable ways Black Americans have helped shape and strengthen the country.
Two Camden schools are adding the course: Camden High and Creative Arts High schools. Superintendent Katrina McCombs is thrilled to see an expansion of what’s already offered.
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“Many of our young people will be the future historians, will be the future professors or those researchers when it comes to keeping African American history and Latin American history alive,” she said. “It is critically important that we are preparing our young people who choose to take those accelerated pathways.”
The pilot program will start in just two Camden high schools, but McCombs is hopeful it will eventually expand to the others in the district as well.
The AP class gained national attention when Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked it, stating he believes some lessons were more about indoctrination than education. He declared, without citing any evidence, that the course violates state law and isn’t historically accurate.
Murphy denounced DeSantis and said New Jersey will set an example. Two of the schools offering the program will be in Camden. Murphy has yet to provide a full list of the participating schools.
After criticism from DeSantis, the College Board revised the curriculum and removed sections on queer theory and reparations payments — changes it said happened after its own internal review, not based on DeSantis’ objections. Topics including Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life are not part of the course’s exam but are still included as potential research topics, along with “Black conservatism.”
“New Jersey will proudly teach our kids that Black History is American History,” Murphy said in a statement. “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.”
The courses have begun in 60 schools nationwide as part of a two-year pilot phase and are set to expand to hundreds next year.
African American studies has been required in New Jersey schools since the 1990s and was codified into law with the 2002 Amistad bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.