119-hr1359

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1359 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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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