On Feb. 1, 2023, the start of Black History Month, a New York Times headline read: "The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies." In a seeming reaction to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, banning the earlier version of this course, the College Board removed from the core curriculum any examination of critical race theory, the study of contemporary topics like Black Lives Matter, and the works of scholars like Columbia and UCLA law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, Yale professor Roderick Ferguson, Ta-Nehesi Coates and bell hooks.
After public outcry, the College Board claimed that these changes were in the works before the DeSantis administration banned the course. The Board has also expressed regret for not denouncing the Florida Dept. of Education's "slander" that the course "lacks educational value." Florida officials, meanwhile, have continued to gloat that their criticism led to the course changes.
