Georgia schools chief says African American studies decision rooted in ‘divisive concepts’ law

State school Superintendent Richard Woods. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Georgia’s 2022 “ divisive concepts ” bill is to blame for the state’s sidelining of an Advanced Placement African American studies course, State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement Wednesday.

Last week , Woods said he would not recommend approval for the class but said districts that want to offer it can still do so through a workaround. He didn’t immediately provide an explanation for the different approach, even when a letter from Gov. Brian Kemp pointedly asked him to do so.

Woods said Wednesday that he was concerned the course could run afoul of the law, which bans classroom discussion of nine so-called divisive concepts: that one race is inherently superior to another race, that the United States is fundamentally racist, that people are racist or oppressive by virtue of their race, that anyone should be discriminated against because of their race, that someone’s moral character is determined by their race, that individuals bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of their race, that performance-based advancement or appreciation of work ethic is racist or “any other form of race scapegoating or race stereotyping.”

“After reviewing the content, it was clear that parts of the coursework did violate the law,” Woods said. “As with most states with laws like Georgia on this issue that have raised concerns, the most glaring violation is on the topic of intersectionality. There are additional areas of concern, but this topic raises the highest level of concern. If the Advanced Placement course had presented a comparative narrative with opposing views on this and other topics, an argument could be made that the course did not violate Georgia law.”

The course has been a flashpoint in the culture wars nationwide, including in Arkansas , where a lawsuit involving the course is underway, and in Florida , where Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would ban the course because he said it represented an attempt to indoctrinate children.

Intersectionality refers to an academic framework introduced in the 1990s by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. It states that peoples’ lives are shaped by various intersecting identities including race, religion, education, income and ability, and that people may experience different forms of privilege and oppression depending on their identities and their society.

Like critical race theory, intersectionality was once a term used mostly by academics, now drawn into national focus by groups who say insidious actors seek to indoctrinate young students in the classroom.

The AP African American studies course description lists “The Black Feminist Movement, Womanism, and Intersectionality” as one topic in the year-long course. The topic’s objective is to explain “how the Black feminist movement of the twentieth century drew inspiration from earlier Black women’s activism.”

A separate topic, “Interlocking Systems of Oppression,” seeks to describe “how social categories (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality, ability) are interconnected, and considers how their interaction with social systems creates unequal outcomes for individuals.”

Rashad Brown, an Atlanta Public Schools teacher who previously taught the class and is preparing to do so once again this week, said intersectionality comes up a few times in the course.

Brown gave the example of abolitionist Sojourner Truth’s speech ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’”

“It discusses the treatment that she is articulating to many in the feminist movement regarding how she experiences treatment as a woman, one, but then also as a person of color in this country,” he said. “It’s impossible to talk about historical figures such as Sojourner Truth without talking about her experiences from the lens of a woman as well as a person of color. So that would be a specific example of why that is discussed in that manner, and it’s appropriate to be discussed in that manner because she is a woman and a person of color.”

Brown said nothing in the course is likely to offend anyone.

“There are approximately 64% of students who took this course who identified as black in some way or form. The rest were from another ethnic or racial group. No one had anything but positive glowing reviews of the course. For example, in my class and in my school, many students, white, Jewish, and otherwise, they were some of the strongest students in the course, and their feedback was they think everyone should have access to this course because this rich history isn’t something that’s well known or taught to people and it may broaden their perspective about African Americans or Black people at large.”

In his statement, Woods said his decision was about following the law, but he said he was looking for some legal clarification on a possible exemption.

“There may be an exemption as it pertains to course adoption for not only AP courses but also International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual enrollment college courses. Should the ruling reverse my decision, then I will follow the law,” he said.

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