Thank you all for supporting our petition to the College Board to create an AP U.S. Women’s History course. Over the past year, this campaign received a great deal of momentum and we wanted to update you on our progress. Numerous historians and AP teachers signed this petition and we received public support from professors at universities such as the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Our petition was shared over 600 times and collected over 2,600 signatures. It has been financially supported by over 100 promoters which funded the spread of the petition on the change.org platform. We are so grateful for all this incredible support! 

Over the past year, we presented this idea at national conferences hosted by the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Women’s Studies Association. Publicity about this campaign appeared in a variety of publications including The 19th News, Yahoo Finance, the Palo Alto Almanac and we were interviewed in podcasts hosted by Live Girl and Teaching History Her Way. We also created a partnership with Women & the American Story through the New York Historical Society where we are working with our students to connect their materials to required topics on the AP U.S. History exam. 

We will be presenting alongside our wonderful students at the American Historical Association conference in early January 2024. During Women’s History Month next March, we will be hosting a major event to promote the teaching of women’s history in schools at the Palo Alto Library. We are so excited to work on these projects and more in 2024. 

If you know of students who would like to get involved to help bring this crucial course to life, please contact Kate Ragatz, the student leader of this initiative at womensapleadership@gmail.com.

Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement! 

                                          –Kristen Kelly and Serene Williams