[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1359 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1359
To direct the Director of the National Museum of African American
History and Culture to conduct a study on Black history education
efforts in public elementary and secondary schools, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2025
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson
of Georgia, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Nadler, Mr. McGovern, Mr.
Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Green of Texas,
Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Carson, Mr. Cohen,
Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Tlaib, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms.
Williams of Georgia, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Waters, Mr.
Espaillat, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Turner of
Texas, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Brown, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Menendez, Mrs.
Ramirez, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania, and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Director of the National Museum of African American
History and Culture to conduct a study on Black history education
efforts in public elementary and secondary schools, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Black History Matters Act''.
SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON BLACK HISTORY EDUCATION.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--During the period described in paragraph
(2), the Director of the National Museum of African American
History and Culture (referred to in this Act as the
``Director'') shall conduct a study on Black history education
efforts in public elementary and secondary schools.
(2) Period.--The Director shall, with respect to the study
required under paragraph (1)--
(A) begin such study not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(B) complete such study not later than 3 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Elements.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the
Director shall--
(1) identify States and local educational agencies that
require Black history education as part of the curriculum
taught in public elementary and secondary schools;
(2) identify States and local educational agencies that do
not require Black history education as part of the curriculum
taught in public elementary and secondary schools;
(3) assess the quality of Black history education provided
by public elementary and secondary schools, including through
the qualitative and quantitative analysis of such indicators
as--
(A) in-class discussion;
(B) educational activities conducted outside the
classroom, including homework assignments; and
(C) project based learning;
(4) assess the types and quality of instructional materials
used to teach students about Black history;
(5) examine the duration and comprehensiveness of any Black
history-related courses or lessons provided by public
elementary and secondary schools; and
(6) analyze the approaches used by such schools to assess
students' knowledge of Black history, including the use of
traditional and nontraditional assessments.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Following the completion of the study
under subsection (a), the Director shall prepare and submit to
Congress a report on the results of the study.
(2) Deadline for submittal.--The report required under
paragraph (1) shall be submitted not later than 180 days after
the completion of the study under subsection (a)(2)(B).
(d) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local
educational agency'', ``secondary school'', and ``State'' have
the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(2) Black history.--The term ``Black history'' means the
study and stories of Black life in the United States and around
the world, with a specific focus on the triumphs and struggles
(including political, social, and cultural achievements) of
African Americans throughout the United States.
(3) Black history education.--The term ``Black history
education'' means educational activities that are specifically
intended--
(A) to improve students' awareness and
understanding of the history of people of African
descent, especially as it relates to United States
history;
(B) to educate students on the lessons of chattel
slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil
Rights movement as a means to raise awareness about the
importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry
against any group of people; and
(C) to study the history of racism, its deep
historical roots, the use of discrimination and
propaganda that target the Black people, and the
evolving nature of white supremacy over time.
(4) Project based learning.--The term ``project based
learning'' means a teaching method through which students learn
by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful
projects.
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