African History Is Made a High School Requirement
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PHILADELPHIA — High school students here must take a course in African and African American history as a requirement for graduation starting with the next freshman class, officials said Thursday.
Leaders of the school district, where two-thirds of students are black, hope the course will not only keep those students interested in their academic work but give others a more accurate view of history.
“We have the opportunity ... to do something under our watch that is really going to do right by our students -- to say, ‘We’ve come from some pretty great places,’ ” said Assistant Supt. Cecilia Cannon.
The course, already offered as an elective, covers topics including classical African civilizations, civil rights and black nationalism.
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