From the history of slave rebellions to modern media perceptions of Black people, students in Parkland High School\u2019s new AP African American Studies course say they\u2019re enjoying in-depth study of topics too often ignored.<\/p>\n
The 22 students enrolled in the course\u2019s first year are exploring a curriculum that is expanding across the United States while facing bans and challenges in states like Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no reason why somebody should not be able to learn about the history of African American people if they can learn about the history of just American people and European people,\u201d Parkland senior Ellie Zuber said.<\/p>\n
Zuber said she enrolled in AP African American Studies in part to understand more about the culture and traditions of her Black relatives.<\/p>\n
She said the course has already taught her a lot about how history connects to the present day, a theme she is exploring in a research project about segregation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to get an understanding of how it developed and how it does, in aspects, continue to develop,\u201d Zuber said.<\/p>\n
Connecting history to the present day is also top of mind for junior Arielle Brown, who is hoping to pursue a career in medicine and is researching medical racism and the myth of Black biological difference.<\/p>\n
Knowing more about how medical misconceptions form will help her avoid employing biases against future patients, Brown said.<\/p>\n
The course is \u201can opportunity to learn deeper about myself and the community that I surround myself with,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI think that it granted me an opportunity to learn about how others also see the world that I live in daily.\u201d<\/p>\n
People who lack historical knowledge are more prone to stereotyping particular groups of people, senior Kaley Seide said, adding that the course offers chances to change perspective. She\u2019s debating whether to focus her research project on the Haitian Revolution or the perception of Black women in the United States.<\/p>\n
Seide serves as president of Parkland High School\u2019s Black Student Union, and she said material from AP African American Studies has formed the backbone of presentations that have engaged club members in subjects such as media portrayals of Black people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids are really interested,\u201d Seide said, adding that the club aims to provide a safe space for students of color. It has approximately 30 active members.<\/p>\n
Resistance to teaching AP African American Studies is \u201ccrazy\u201d and \u201cbogus,\u201d junior Cheryllana Cunningham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a history course, just like all the other history classes, it\u2019s just digging deeper into the African American part,\u201d said Cunningham, who is researching how resistance is connected to social change.<\/p>\n