What This Bill Does
This bill tells the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible organizations to teach educational programs about African American history. The programs would cover African Americans' role in settling and founding America, the history of slavery and its impact on all Americans, and African American contributions to American history, culture, law, politics and the economy.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Education, eligible entities (organizations that can receive grants), educators, students, and schools that participate in the funded educational programs.
Key Provisions
• The bill requires that Black history be included in American history programs and teaching (Sec. 3(a))
• The bill requires that Black history be included in presidential and congressional academies for American history and civics education (Sec. 3(b))
• The bill requires that Black history be included in national activities related to American history education (Sec. 3(c))
• The bill requires the National Museum of African American History and Culture to provide programs and resources for educators and students (Sec. 3(b))
• The bill requires that Black history be included in the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing framework (Sec. 3(d))
What Changes
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended to specifically include Black history in all American history education programs, academies, and national activities. The National Assessment of Educational Progress history framework is also amended to include Black history.
Important Definitions
None defined in the bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 703
To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible entities
to carry out educational programs that include the history of peoples
of African descent in the settling and founding of America, the economic
and political environments that led to the development, institutionaliza-
tion, and abolition of slavery and its impact on all Americans, the
exploration and expansion of America, impact on and contributions to
the development and enhancement of American life, United States his-
tory, literature, the economy, politics, body of laws, and culture, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Mrs. BEATTY (for herself, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mrs. WATSON COLE-
MAN, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. BROWN,
Mr. SABLAN, Ms. LOIS
FRANKEL
of Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mr.
AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. JOHNSON
of Georgia, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. IVEY, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. MFUME, Mr.
DESAULNIER, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. MENG, Ms.
BARRAGA´N, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. GREEN of
Texas, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin,
Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mrs. SYKES, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis-
sissippi, and Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants
to eligible entities to carry out educational programs
that include the history of peoples of African descent
in the settling and founding of America, the economic
and political environments that led to the development,
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•HR 703 IH
institutionalization, and abolition of slavery and its im-
pact on all Americans, the exploration and expansion
of America, impact on and contributions to the develop-
ment and enhancement of American life, United States
history, literature, the economy, politics, body of laws,
and culture, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Black History is Amer-
4
ican History Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6
Congress finds the following:
7
(1) Since before its founding, the United States
8
of America has benefited from and been enhanced by
9
the integral role African Americans have played in
10
our country’s history and contributions to the world.
11
(2) African-American history does not begin in
12
the Americas. It can be traced back to the great em-
13
pires of West Africa beginning in A.D. 790, which
14
aided the establishment and survival of colonies in
15
America and the New World, generally, and fought
16
against European oppression.
17
(3) African Americans have represented a sig-
18
nificant portion of the American population from
19
nearly 20 percent at the signing of the Declaration
20
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•HR 703 IH
of Independence, almost all of whom, if not all, were
1
victims of the largest forced deportations in recorded
2
history, the transatlantic slave trade and resulting
3
African diaspora. It is estimated over 10,000,000
4
free Africans were enslaved between the mid-fif-
5
teenth and nineteenth centuries during the diaspora.
6
(4) Slavery was not abolished and African
7
Americans not acknowledged as American citizens
8
until the mid-nineteenth century, servitude did not
9
abate their contributions to the settlement, growth,
10
and development of the United States, which contin-
11
ued through Post-Reconstruction, Jim Crow, indus-
12
trialization, World Wars and conflicts, innovation
13
and inventiveness, constitutional progress, and every
14
aspect of American society.
15
(5) During the civil rights movement of the
16
1950s and 1960s, civil rights leaders and activists
17
championed the fight for equal rights, including vot-
18
ing rights, for all African Americans.
19
(6) The seminal case of Brown v. Board of
20
Education, decided May 17, 1954, found that the
21
decades-old policy of separate but equal access to
22
education was inherently unequal, and the segrega-
23
tion of Black public-school students was no longer
24
the law of the land.
25
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•HR 703 IH
(7) African Americans continue to fight dis-
1
crimination, structural racism, economic inequities,
2
and benign and overt omission of the integral role
3
they played in our country’s rise to greatness.
4
(8) A number of States have passed educational
5
laws requiring Black history be incorporated into the
6
curricula of all public schools.
7
(9) Congress established the National Museum
8
of African American History and Culture in 2003
9
after decades of efforts to promote and highlight the
10
contributions of African Americans, which serves as
11
an indication of the national importance of exam-
12
ining Black history. Since opening in 2016, the mu-
13
seum has worked to educate the public on the Amer-
14
ican story through the lens of African-American his-
15
tory and culture and provide educators, parents,
16
caregivers, and students with tools and resources on
17
the African-American experience, its national im-
18
pact, race, racism, and the importance of tolerance
19
and inclusivity.
20
(10) According to a 2015 research study con-
21
ducted by the National Museum of African Amer-
22
ican History and Culture and reported in Research
23
into the State of African American History and Cul-
24
ture in K–12 Public Schools, key findings indicated
25
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•HR 703 IH
that teachers considered Black history as influential
1
in understanding the complexity of United States
2
history.
3
(11) The importance of Black history is re-
4
flected in the National Assessment of Educational
5
Progress United States History framework, from
6
pre-colonization through contemporary America.
7
(12) The Federal Government, through support
8
for educational activities of national museums estab-
9
lished under Federal law, can assist teachers in ef-
10
forts to incorporate historically accurate instruction
11
on the comprehensive history of African Americans
12
and students in their exploration of Black history as
13
an integral part of American history.
14
SEC. 3. AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS EDUCATION.
15
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—Section 2231(a) of the
16
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
17
U.S.C. 6661(a)) is amended—
18
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
19
inserting ‘‘, which shall include Black history,’’ after
20
‘‘American history’’; and
21
(2) in paragraph (2)—
22
(A) by inserting ‘‘which shall include Black
23
history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’; and
24
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•HR 703 IH
(B) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include
1
Black history’’ after ‘‘traditional American his-
2
tory’’.
3
(b) PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL ACADEMIES
4
FOR AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS.—Section 2232 of
5
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
6
U.S.C. 6662) is amended—
7
(1) in subsection (a)—
8
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, which
9
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American
10
History’’; and
11
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, which
12
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American
13
History’’;
14
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ‘‘, which
15
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American his-
16
tory’’;
17
(3) in subsection (e)—
18
(A) in paragraph (1)—
19
(i) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include
20
Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history’’;
21
(ii) in subparagraph (A)—
22
(I) by inserting ‘‘, which shall in-
23
clude Black history,’’ after ‘‘teachers
24
of American history’’; and
25
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•HR 703 IH
(II) by inserting ‘‘, which shall
1
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘subjects
2
of American history’’; and
3
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting
4
‘‘, which shall include Black history,’’ after
5
‘‘American history’’;
6
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, which
7
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American
8
history’’; and
9
(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, and
10
with the Smithsonian Institution’s National
11
Museum of African American History and Cul-
12
ture initiative providing programs and resources
13
for educators and students’’ after ‘‘National
14
Parks’’; and
15
(4) in subsection (f)—
16
(A) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include
17
Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history’’;
18
(B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘,
19
which shall include Black history,’’ after
20
‘‘American history’’; and
21
(C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘,
22
which shall include Black history,’’ after
23
‘‘American history’’.
24
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•HR 703 IH
(c) NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Section 2233 of the Ele-
1
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
2
6663) is amended—
3
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘which shall
4
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’;
5
and
6
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘which shall
7
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’.
8
(d) NATIONAL
ASSESSMENT
OF
EDUCATIONAL
9
PROGRESS.—Section 303(b)(2)(D) of the National As-
10
sessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20
11
U.S.C. 9622(b)(2)(D)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(which
12
shall include Black history)’’ after ‘‘history,’’.
13
Æ
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