The Florida Department of Education’s decision to ban AP African American Studies denied Black students the chance to see their histories take center stage, and now its smear campaign will create additional barriers to accessing higher education altogether. Last Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared that the state legislature plans to “reevaluate” its relationship with the College Board completely. Meaning, students could lose access to all AP courses and even the PSAT/SAT. At a time when Black students face significant psychological, financial, and physical barriers to higher education, this decision could worsen existing educational inequities.
We recently learned that one member of the FLDOE is an executive at Walmart, which claims to “support Black communities” and even employs over 352,000 Black associates–some of whom have children enrolled in Florida public high schools. The next generation deserves better.
Send a letter to Walmart executives now to demand that the company immediately speak out against the FLDOE’s decision to ban AP African American Studies and affirm its commitment to defending Black history on all fronts.