AP African American Studies has just begun its pilot series here at H-F and is already sparking conversation amongst teachers and students about the start of a diversity movement within schooling.

CollegeBoard describes the course as “interdisciplinary with literary, artistic,  and scientific components within the curriculum.” After over a decade’s worth of research and discussion with universities, students, and educators from throughout the country, CollegeBoard is confident in the success of the course and will be conducting the first AP exam in spring of 2024. 

Krystal Davis teaches two periods of the class and uses both the framework given by College Board and the help of fellow teachers to formulate her lesson plans. She describes the community found within the AP African American Studies Facebook Group as “invaluable.”

“It’s kind of like you have this giant community to plan with without actually having the time or space to plan with them in person.” 

Davis said that while the initial framework given by AP is good, it includes topics that are labeled ‘optional’ that will be taught in her class. She finds it very important to teach her students about subjects like the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ experiences within the African-American community. 

“There’s so much that’s happened in United States history that doesn’t get talked about in detail, if it’s talked about at all, that is really a part of the bigger story. I think that this class provides students the opportunity to learn that history while still seeing themselves in the textbooks, seeing themselves in the documents, seeing themselves in other places in the world,” Davis shared passionately.

When asked what she believed the most important lessons to teach in the course, Davis responded, “I think the most important thing to teach is that African Americans weren’t just slaves and there’s not always struggle. There’s struggle because humans struggle but there are periods when every day, African Americans are doing amazing things.”  

AP African American Studies is just the beginning of what has the potential to be a door opener for other minority groups and it’s important to note that not all minorities are marginalized due to race. As Davis mentioned, humans struggle but we are also capable of amazing things. With that being said, there are so many stories to be told and so much knowledge students can gain from learning about one another. As a black student at HF, I’m grateful to have administrators that are so passionate about sharing our stories and I think every student should have that same opportunity.