Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski
Governor Phil Murphy is expanding the African American Studies course in New Jersey for 2023-24. During his announcement, Murphy called out Governor Ron DeSantis’ criticism of the course curriculum. “I’m happy to call them by name…And that’s unacceptable and frankly shameful,” Murphy said.
New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy announced earlier this week the expansion of Advanced Placement () African-American Studies courses in the Garden State, and in doing so, urged Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to Florida’s campaign against the course’s curriculum as “nonsense”, according to The New York Times.
The course, currently in its nationwide pilot phase, is taught in one out of 60 New Jersey high schools nationwide. The course will be expanded to 25 more schools for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the governor.
Murphy, while speaking to reporters, took direct aim at efforts in Florida to influence the course’s teachings.
“Enough already with all this nonsense coming out of Florida, we want to expand the story and tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, even when it hurts,” the governor said during an appearance at Science Park High School. of Newark, NJ. , one of the schools that will offer the course.
“I’m happy to call them by name. It starts with Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. And that’s unacceptable and frankly shameful. We’re not the politicians here. We’re upright Americans. We’ve got to tell the whole story. history of our country,” he added.
DeSantis spoke out against an earlier framework of the course, questioning its inclusion of intersectionality, queer studies, reparations and the Black Lives Matter movement. After the College Board released a formalized version of the curriculum, these subjects were made optional, which outraged many educators and activists who felt the board had acquiesced to DeSantis.
The College Board has repeatedly denied that DeSantis played a role in the changes to the course’s original framework.
Read the original article on Business Insider