Virginia NAACP Opposes Governor Glenn Younkin’s Order to Review College Board’s AP African American Studies

The Virginia State Conference NAACP (Virginia NAACP) is outraged by Governor Glenn Youngkin’s decision to review the College Board’s AP African American Studies assessment. There should be no question as to whether African American Studies is a worthy topic of study from an administration that stated a desire to teach all of American history. 

Dr. Amy Tillerson-Brown, Virginia NAACP Education Chair, states,

“Governor Youngkin is using Executive Order #1 to target the content and validity of AP African American Studies courses, which is contradicting his desire to teach a full and accurate history to students in the Commonwealth. 

Robert B. Barnette, Jr, President, states.

“Governor Younkin’s action is an attempt to erase the experiences and contributions of Black people. When Black children cannot see themselves and their experiences reflected in the history of this country, their humanity is diminished, and it leaves them vulnerable to attack.”

The Virginia NAACP firmly believes that if school curriculums do not include and value the history and culture of Black people, then it is impossible to value the Black people that learn and work in Virginia’s schools. The way to erode democracy is to chip away at the historical context to diminish people’s understanding of what occurred in the past and how to recognize what is happening now and in the future. 

The Virginia NAACP is committed to advocating for equitable state policies. The Virginia NAACP will continue to closely monitor the actions of the Governor and his administration on this issue.