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Curriculum Photos

PHOTOS: Inside an AP African American Studies Class

By Ileana Najarro & Jaclyn Borowski — March 29, 2024 1 min read
69´«Ã½ listen to a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities during Ahenewa El-Amin’s AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
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The AP African American Studies course is officially launching this fall in a political climate in which states have limited instruction on race.

Kentucky is one of those states, yet Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., has been piloting the course.

Here’s what a typical class day looks like.

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Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week

Cole Wicker answers a question during a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities as part of the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
69´«Ã½ participate in a discussion during AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Brian Bliss, left, and Melody El-Amin teach classmates how to step as part of a presentation on the Iota Phi Theta fraternity during AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin has a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Nia Henderson Louis gives a presentation on Alpha Kappa Alpha as part of a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities during the AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin speaks with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Flyers, designed by Ahenewa El-Amin, decorate the halls of Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., as the teacher works to recruit students to take the AP African American Studies class.
Principal Corye Franklin discusses the AP African American Studies course during an interview with Education Week at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.

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Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week

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