What It’s Really Like to Teach AP African American Studies in Florida

Plus: A TIME contributor retakes the SATs in his 50s |

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By Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer After I got an exclusive look at the framework for the College Board’s AP African American Studies class last summer, the article went viral. One of the teachers featured, Marlon Williams-Clark of Tallahassee, Florida, went on to talk to numerous mainstream news outlets about teaching the class at a time when Governor Ron DeSantis was cracking down on “woke indoctrination” and how the full history of racism in the U.S. is discussed. I called him up again after the Florida Department of Education publicly announced it would not allow the AP African American Studies to be taught and found out he was already scrambling to come up with a new lesson plan for the rest of the year. To catch up on the controversy and what the College Board and the Florida Department of Education are debating, click here to read the full story.

HISTORY ON TIME.COM Column: To Understand America, You Need to Understand the Black Church By Henry Louis Gates Jr. "Never could I have imagined that we would be launching at a time when the stories we wanted to tell of grace and resilience, struggles and redemption, hope and healing, would be so desperately needed, given all that we've lost and endured in the past year." Read More » Madonna’s Face and the Myth of Aging Gracefully By Belinda Luscombe The reaction to her appearance at the Grammys says more about us than it does about her Read More » I Took the SAT Again in My 50s. Turns Out I Had Learned Nothing By Philippe Reines I set out to see what half a century of living had equipped me with according to the College Board Read More » How the Valentine's Day Heart Got Its Shape By Olivia B. Waxman On Valentine's Day, the world celebrates love by being bombarded with red and pink hearts — heart-shaped candies, heart-shaped cards and more. Here's why Read More » These 5 Famous Kisses Made History By Olivia B. Waxman and Kenneth Bachor Including that iconic Times Square smooch Read More »

FROM THE TIME VAULT This week in 1962: Bobby Kennedy “It was to serve the will of the President that Bob Kennedy became Attorney General. From the moment of his election to office, Jack Kennedy knew that he wanted his younger brother in his Administration—not merely as a White House adviser, but as a top official of Government who could get things done. The Attorney General's job was the obvious one for Lawyer Bobby, who had already served for six years as a Senate committee investigator. Bob Kennedy was reluctant to take the post; he argued forcibly that his appointment would leave the President open to devastating charges of nepotism. He accepted the job only after John Kennedy strongly urged him to do so…Barely a year in office, the kid brother is one of the President's solidest assets.” (Feb. 16, 1962) Read More » This week in 1982: Steve Jobs “New businesses are being created in the U.S. today as never before…Steven Jobs, 26, the co-founder of five-year-old Apple Computer, practically singlehanded created the personal computer industry. This college dropout is now worth $149 million. Even though the U.S. languishes in its third recession in ten years, and industries like autos and steel seem incapable of competing with the Japanese, the bright, bold and brassy risk takers are not only thriving; they are leading the U.S. into the industries of the 21st century.” (Feb. 15, 1982) Read More » This week in 1993: The Science of Love “Romance served the evolutionary purpose of pulling males and females into long-term partnership, which was essential to child rearing. On open grasslands, one parent would have a hard -- and dangerous -- time handling a child while foraging for food. "If a woman was carrying the equivalent of a 20-lb. bowling ball in one arm and a pile of sticks in the other, it was ecologically critical to pair up with a mate to rear the young," explains anthropologist Helen Fisher, author of Anatomy of Love. While Western culture holds fast to the idea that true love flames forever (the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula has the Count carrying the torch beyond the grave), nature apparently meant passions to sputter out in something like four years. Primitive pairs stayed together just ‘long enough to rear one child through infancy,’ says Fisher. Then each would find a new partner and start all over again.” (Feb. 15, 1993) Read More »

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB Education: The Washington Post’s Hannah Natanson examines data on how history is taught in the 50 states, compiled by the research agency Education Commission of the States. Research: For History News Network, historian Joel Marie Cabrita writes about the discovery of a woman’s signature on an 8th century manuscript as a way to look at the long history of female scholars. Food for thought: On CBS Sunday Morning, Faith Salie did a sweet segment on the origins of chocolate fudge. World: Nearly a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, former U.S. State Department counselor Eliot A. Cohen in the Atlantic looks at how the conflict differs from past wars. Money: The New York Times’ Isabella Simonetti reports that the U.S. Mint is putting Cuban-American entertainer Celia Cruz on quarters.

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