African American History Act

To authorize the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to support African American history education programs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the African American History Act 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) African American history The term African American history (2) African American history education program The term African American history education program (A) using digital, electronic, and interactive technologies; and (B) carried out in collaboration with elementary schools, secondary schools, and postsecondary schools. (3) Director The term Director (4) ESEA terms The terms early childhood education program elementary school local educational agency secondary school 20 U.S.C. 7801 3. Program authorized (a) In general The Director, in accordance with any program of the National Museum of African American History and Culture established before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act, may use the funds appropriated under section 5 to carry out any of the following activities at the discretion of the Director: (1) Developing and making available accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote the understanding of African American history, which may include digital resources and other types of resources, such as print resources and traveling exhibitions. (2) Through a social justice and anti-bias lens, convening experts, providing opportunities for discourse, and engaging with the public through programming, educational resources, and social media. (3) Through a social justice and anti-bias lens, increasing resource capacity, technical support, and content creation to engage various audiences in-person and via online platforms. (4) Creating, expanding, and disseminating scholarly work through research, curricula, in-house and traveling exhibitions, publications, and programming. (5) Providing language translation of the work of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, including scholarly work, research, traveling exhibitions, publications, programming, pamphlets, and other information distributed about activities funded under this Act. (6) Expanding the collection acquisition and collection access processes, including staffing, conservation, processing, and digitization. (7) Augmenting one or more of the following African American history education program activities: (A) Development, dissemination, and implementation of principles of sound pedagogy for teaching about African American history. (B) Provision of professional development, such as, but not limited to, through— (i) local, regional, and national workshops; (ii) teacher trainings or engagements in conjunction with African American history education centers and other appropriate partners; (iii) engagement with— (I) local educational agencies; and (II) early childhood education programs, elementary schools, and secondary schools that are independent of any local educational agency; and (iv) operation and expansion of a teacher fellowship program to cultivate and support leaders in African American history education. (C) Engagement with State and local education leaders to encourage the adoption of resources supported under this Act into curricula across diverse disciplines. (8) Creating, developing, implementing, replicating, or taking to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations for museum improvement, and evaluating rigorously such innovations. (b) Online African American history education resources (1) Website The Director may use the funds appropriated under section 5 to develop and maintain on the website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture content designated for educators, students, and families to improve their awareness and understanding of African American history. (2) Information distribution The Director may use funds appropriated under section 5 to distribute information about the activities funded under this Act through the website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and may respond to inquiries for supplementary information concerning such activities. (c) Continuation of activities To the extent that the National Museum of African American History and Culture is engaged in an activity described in subsection (a) or (b) on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director may use the funds appropriated under section 5 to continue that activity. 4. Annual report and briefings (a) Report Not later than February 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to Congress, and make available to the public, a report describing how the funds made available under this Act have been used— (1) to create and promote educational activities; and (2) otherwise to carry out this Act. (b) Briefings Not later than 6 months after the date on which funding is first distributed under this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director or the Director’s designee shall brief the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives on the programs and activities carried out under this Act. (c) Sunset Subsections (a) and (b) shall cease to be effective on September 30, 2026. 5. Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

Summary: African American History Act This bill authorizes the National Museum of African American History and Culture to carry out educational programs and related activities. Such activities include developing and making available accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to promote the understanding of African American history; and expanding the collection acquisition and collection access processes, including conservation and digitization. The museum may also develop and maintain on its website content designated for educators, students, and families to improve their awareness and understanding of African American history.