IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 615 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 26, 2023 Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself, Ms. Castor of Florida , Ms. Jackson Lee , Mr. Johnson of Georgia , Mr. Lieu , Ms. Adams , Ms. Crockett , Mr. Frost , Mr. Evans , Mr. Green of Texas , Mrs. Beatty , Ms. Wilson of Florida , and Ms. Brown ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce RESOLUTION Condemning revisionist education and revisionist history as it relates to the African-American experience.

Whereas Florida’s new African-American history standards for elementary and secondary school students illegitimately teach that slavery could have been beneficial for enslaved people; Whereas Florida’s new history standards are a colossal step backward and an insult to Black people, descendants of slaves, and the intellect of people in the United States; Whereas the impact of teaching African-American history has had a substantial impact on society by exposing the Nation’s original sin; Whereas that knowledge has informed students of the realities of racism and discrimination; Whereas teaching African-American history can lead students to become vocal advocates empowered to ensure justice and social change; Whereas all sovereign citizens have the right to know where their people came from; Whereas revising African-American historical records in public schools damages people of African descent; Whereas not learning about the struggle for Black identity makes students more likely to hold unreasonable prejudices; Whereas Black people could not possibly be perpetrators of violence while they were the victims of race massacres and lynchings; Whereas whitewashing history creates gaps in students’ learning by omitting key context; Whereas revising history renders learning incomplete by teaching students half-truths; Whereas students hear discussions about race from media coverage and want to learn more; Whereas racist history standards create fear and anger in teachers and decrease the quality of schools; Whereas this propaganda denies students their fundamental right to explore the complex history of African Americans in the United States; Whereas the horrors of slavery must be taught unfiltered, not through revisionist framework; Whereas students deserve to know about the Nation’s past, including the good, the bad, and the ugly; and Whereas African-American history is integral to United States history: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns racist education on all fronts from reteaching history to attacking anything related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, critical race theory, and affirmative action; (2) calls upon Members of Congress to denounce the racist tropes found in Florida’s new African-American history standards for elementary and secondary school students that protect the ideals of White supremacy; (3) pledges to advocate for education that tells the full narrative of United States history and African-American history, acknowledging the experiences and plight of Black people; (4) rejects the decision to downplay the horror of slavery in the United States by coupling it with required teachings of how slavery was utilized in Asian, European, and African cultures and the similarities and differences between serfdom and slavery ; (5) promotes the dignity of African-American youth by allowing them to learn the accurate historical account of their ancestors and the hardships they faced; (6) rejects the decision to rewrite history to ingrain White supremacy into the minds of children; and (7) urges the Florida Board of Education to immediately reverse its decision and promulgate new African-American history standards free of inaccurate racist tropes and the assertion that Black people could find slavery beneficial.