Unlike any other AP course, AP African American Studies is the most complex course the College Board has produced. And it has also faced an unsurprising barrage of attacks unlike any other AP course. Why is there such a fear of Black Studies? Why do Texas textbooks now refer to enslaved folks as “laborers''? In this episode, Dr. Nishani Frazier discusses the value of Black Studies and how it inspires empathy; spotlights power imbalances and racial hierarchies; and provides pathways to solutions for dealing with racism, exploitation, and inequality.

De/Instutionalize is a series from Un/Livable Cultures focusing on the ways in which academic cultures are livable and unlivable and how these institutions can participate in regimes of oppression and subjugation.

Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of American Studies and History at University of Kansas. Her research interests include 1960s freedom movements, oral history, food, digital humanities, and black economic development. You can follow her on Twitter at @SpelmanDiva or her website.

If you like Un/Livable Cultures, share with your friends, consider supporting the podcast on Patreon, or leaving us a review! And follow our Twitter @UnlivablePod for updates.

Sources

The Backlash: How Slavery Research Came Under Fire

Samira Shackle

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/jun/01/cotton-capital-legacies-of-slavery-research-backlash-cambridge-university

Harambee City: The Congress of Racial Equality in Cleveland and the Rise of Black Power PopulismNishani Frazier

Nikole Hannah-Jones Denied Tenure at University of North Carolina

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/business/media/nikole-hannah-jones-unc.html

The Newspaper Baron Who Lobbied Against Nikole Hannah-Jones

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/06/the-newspaper-baron-who-lobbied-against-nikole-hannah-jones.html

One year later, Walter Hussman still denying involvement in Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure standoff

https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/one-year-later-walter-hussman-still-denying-involvement-in-nikole-hannah-jones-tenure-standoff/

Nikole Hannah-Jones Issues Statement on Decision to Decline Tenure Offer at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and to Accept Knight Chair Appointment at Howard University

https://www.naacpldf.org/press-release/nikole-hannah-jones-issues-statement-on-decision-to-decline-tenure-offer-at-university-of-north-carolina-chapel-hill-and-to-accept-knight-chair-appointment-at-howard-university/

The College Board Will Change Its A.P. African American Studies Course

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/us/ap-african-american-studies-college-board.html

The College Board’s Rocky Path, Through Florida, to the A.P. Black Studies Course

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/13/us/ap-black-studies-course-college-board-desantis.html

DeSantis says Florida rejected new AP course on African American Studies for imposing ‘political agenda’

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/politics/ron-desantis-florida-ap-african-american-studies/index.html

The controversy over AP African American studies, explained

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23583240/ap-african-american-studies-college-board-florida-ron-desantis

Problems with Names

Sara Ahmed

https://feministkilljoys.com/2014/04/25/problems-with-names/