I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6902 
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 
MAY 15, 2020 
Ms. FUDGE (for herself, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. 
BASS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. ESPAILLAT, 
Mr. SOTO, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. KAPTUR, 
Mr. CLAY, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. COX of California, Mr. 
DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. 
MOORE, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 
MENG, Mr. RYAN, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. RUSH, Ms. 
WILSON of Florida, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. SCHA-
KOWSKY, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. EVANS, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 
DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. VELA, Mr. 
PAYNE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mrs. TORRES 
of California, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. NADLER, Ms. 
NORTON, and Mr. BROWN of Maryland) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
in the settling and founding of America, the economic 
and political environments that led to the development, 
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-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Black History is Amer-
ican History Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Whereas since before its founding, the 
United States of America has benefited from and 
been enhanced by the integral role African Ameri-
cans have played in our country’s history and con-
tributions to the world. 
(2) Whereas African American history does not 
begin in the Americas. It can be traced back to the 
great empires of West Africa beginning in A.D. 790, 
which aided the establishment and survival of colo-
nies in America and the New World, generally, and 
fought against European oppression. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(3) Whereas African Americans have rep-
resented a significant portion of the American popu-
lation from nearly 20 percent at the signing of the 
Declaration of Independence, almost all of whom, if 
not all, were victims of the largest forced deporta-
tions in recorded history, the transatlantic slave 
trade and resulting African diaspora. It is estimated 
over 10,000,000 free Africans were enslaved between 
the mid-fifteenth and nineteenth centuries during 
the diaspora. 
(4) Whereas slavery was not abolished and Afri-
can Americans not acknowledged as American citi-
zens until the mid-nineteenth century, servitude did 
not abate their contributions to the settlement, 
growth, and development of the United States, 
which continued through Post-Reconstruction, Jim 
Crow, industrialization, World Wars and conflicts, 
innovation 
and 
inventiveness, 
constitutional 
progress, and every aspect of American society. 
(5) Whereas during the civil rights movement of 
the 1950s and 1960s, civil rights leaders and activ-
ists championed the fight for equal rights, including 
voting rights, for all African Americans. 
(6) Whereas the seminal case of Brown v. 
Board of Education, decided May 17, 1954, found 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
that the decades old policy of separate but equal ac-
cess to education was inherently unequal, and the 
segregation of Black public-school students was no 
longer the law of the land. 
(7) Whereas African Americans continue to 
fight discrimination, structural racism, economic in-
equities, and benign and overt omission of the inte-
gral role they played in our country’s rise to great-
ness. 
(8) Whereas currently, 12 States (Arkansas, 
California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, 
New York, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, 
South Carolina, and Texas) have passed educational 
laws requiring Black history be incorporated into the 
curricula of all public schools. 
(9) Whereas Congress established the National 
Museum of African American History and Culture 
in 2003 after decades of efforts to promote and 
highlight the contributions of African Americans, 
which serves as an indication of the national impor-
tance of examining Black history. Since opening in 
2016, the museum has worked to educate the public 
on the American story through the lens of African 
American history and culture and provide educators, 
parents, caregivers, and students with tools and re-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
sources on the African American experience, its na-
tional impact, race, racism, and the importance of 
tolerance and inclusivity. 
(10) Whereas according to a 2015 research 
study conducted by the National Museum of African 
American History and Culture and reported in Re-
search into the State of African American History 
and Culture in K–12 Public Schools, key findings in-
dicated that teachers considered Black history as in-
fluential in understanding the complexity of United 
States history. 
(11) Whereas the importance of Black history 
is reflected in the National Assessment of Edu-
cational Progress United States History framework, 
from pre-colonization through contemporary Amer-
ica. 
(12) Whereas the Federal Government, through 
support for educational activities of national muse-
ums established under Federal law, can assist teach-
ers in efforts to incorporate historically accurate in-
struction on the comprehensive history of African 
Americans and students in their exploration of Black 
history as an integral part of American history. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 3. AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS EDUCATION. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—Section 2231(a) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6661(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
inserting ‘‘, which shall include Black history,’’ after 
‘‘American history’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘which shall include Black 
history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include 
Black history’’ after ‘‘traditional American his-
tory’’. 
(b) PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL ACADEMIES 
FOR AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS.—Section 2232 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6662) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, which 
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American 
History’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, which 
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American 
History’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ‘‘, which 
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American his-
tory’’; 
(3) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include 
Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘, which shall in-
clude Black history,’’ after ‘‘teachers 
of American history’’; and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, which shall 
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘subjects 
of American history’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
‘‘, which shall include Black history,’’ after 
‘‘American history’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, which 
shall include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American 
history’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, and 
with the Smithsonian Institution’s National 
Museum of African American History and Cul-
ture initiative providing programs and resources 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
for educators and students’’ after ‘‘National 
Parks’’; and 
(4) in subsection (f)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, which shall include 
Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘, 
which shall include Black history,’’ after 
‘‘American history’’; and 
(C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 
which shall include Black history,’’ after 
‘‘American history’’. 
(c) NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Section 2233 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6663) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘which shall 
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’; 
and 
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘which shall 
include Black history,’’ after ‘‘American history,’’. 
(d) NATIONAL
ASSESSMENT
OF
EDUCATIONAL 
PROGRESS.—Section 303(b)(2)(D) of the National As-
sessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 
U.S.C. 9622(b)(2)(D)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(which 
shall include Black history)’’ after ‘‘history,’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
16:31 Jun 05, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6902.IH
H6902
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS