What's happening
This bill establishes a commission to develop and recommend African American history curriculum for New York schools and requires related educational site visits.
Why it matters
Creates a diverse and expert commission. The bill establishes a 13-member commission that includes educators, historians, and individuals with backgrounds in African American history, arts, or culture. This ensures the curriculum is shaped by professionals with relevant expertise and lived experience, potentially leading to a more accurate and meaningful curriculum.
Focuses on comprehensive curriculum development. The commission is tasked not just with reviewing existing materials, but with developing new, age-appropriate curricula and instructional materials for K-12 students that specifically highlight African American contributions to American and New York history, including under-taught topics like the women's abolitionist movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and regional movements.
Mandates accountability and continual improvement. The commission must submit annual reports with findings and recommendations to state leadership, and the education commissioner is required to review and update the curriculum yearly. This framework aims to ensure that the curriculum remains current, relevant, and effective over time.
Integrates experiential learning through site visits. The bill requires that students in New York City public, charter, and nonpublic schools participate in site visits to locations that educate about African American history. This experiential component goes beyond textbooks, aiming to deepen students’ understanding through direct engagement with historical sites and narratives.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Teach African American History
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Print number 1135a
- Amend and recommit to education
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Teach Black History in Schools
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Diana Richardson
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1135--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sens. BENJAMIN, PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the commission on African American history and achievement
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to read as follows:
§ 817. African American history and achievement. 1. The commission on African American history and achievement; established. (a) The commission on African American history and achievement, referred to in this section as the commission, is hereby created and established. The commission shall consist of thirteen members, including the commissioner, or his or her designee, the chancellor of New York city schools, or his or her designee, the chancellor of the state university of New York, or his or her designee, and the chancellor of the board of regents, or his or her designee, three members appointed by the governor, three members appointed by the temporary president of the senate, and three members appointed by the speaker of the assembly. Appointed members shall include but not be limited to teachers, including K-12 educators, historians, and those with a background in African American history, arts, or culture.
(b) Each member shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for reappointment. A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired term.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05533-03-0
S. 1135--A 2
(c) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
(d) The commissioner, or his or her designee, shall serve as the chair and the chancellor of New York city schools, or his or her designee, shall serve as the vice-chair of the commission. The presence of a majority of the authorized membership of the commission shall be required for the conduct of official business.
(e) The department shall provide technical assistance and data to the commission as may be necessary for the commission to carry out its responsibilities pursuant to this section.
2. Duties and responsibilities of the commission. (a) The commission shall be tasked with developing and recommending curriculum that incorporates the contributions and achievements made by African Americans as part of New York's education curriculum, including but not limited to the women's abolitionist movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Buffalo anti-slavery movement, and the suffrage movement for African American Long Islanders. In furtherance of this goal, the commission shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
(i) To survey and review current elementary and secondary education curriculum as it relates to contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout American and state history;
(ii) To develop recommendations on additional curriculum and instruction for grades kindergarten through twelve that incorporate the contributions and achievements made by African Americans throughout American and New York state history; and
(iii) Prepare reports for the governor and legislature regarding its findings and recommendations on current curriculum and incorporating additional instruction on the contributions and achievements made by African Americans throughout American and New York state history.
(b) The commission shall submit an annual report, beginning August first, two thousand twenty-one, to the governor, the commissioner, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate education committee, and the chair of the assembly education committee on its findings and recommendations.
3. African American history and achievement curriculum or instruction. (a) The commissioner, in conjunction with other appropriate agencies, shall establish African American history and achievement curriculum or instruction for school districts based on the recommendations of the commission. The content shall be age appropriate and shall be developed according to the needs and abilities of pupils at successive grade levels in order to provide materials, and information in African American history and achievement. The commissioner shall annually review the commission's recommendations and make updates to curriculum as appropriate.
(b) Schools may include the above materials as a component of its history curriculum or any other way the school deems appropriate.
§ 2. Section 2590-h of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 55 to read as follows:
55. Ensure that all students in the city district, the charter schools in the city of New York authorized by article fifty-six of this chapter, and the nonpublic schools in the city of New York providing instruction in accordance with section thirty-two hundred four of this chapter, as part of the instruction in awareness of African American history since the year sixteen hundred nineteen pursuant to section eight hundred
S. 1135--A 3
seventeen of this chapter, shall visit sites which educate about these historical events.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to section 2590-h of the education law made by section two of this act shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such section and shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the commission on African American history and achievement
Purpose
The commission shall develop and recommend curriculum that incorporates the achievements made by African Americans as part of New York's educa- tion curriculum including the woman's abolitionist movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Buffalo antislavery movement, the suffrage of African American Long Islanders..
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the education law is amended by establishing a commission on African American History and Achievement, the commission shall consist of 13 members including The Commissioner of Education, the Chan- cellors of NYC Department of Education, Chancellor of the State Univer- sity of New York as well as the Chancellor of the Board of Regents. The Governor, Speaker of the Assembly and Temporary President of the Senate shall appoint three members each. The member shall receive reimbursement for expenses but no salary. The members shall serve 3-year terms on the commission. The State Education department shall provide technical assistance. The commission shall submit annual reports on its findings beginning August 1 2021. Provides that students in NYC shall visit locations associated with African American History
Read the full memo (921 words)
Existing law
None.
Justification
African-American history just as any other history of a group of people in a country or a specific race is important and should go beyond a day, or a month commemoration. A child in the United Sates both African-Amer- ican and non- African-American should not have to wait until college before they learn about the history of African-American people, who happen to be a profound figure in the country. Moreover, not every child in the US goes to college and even if they do, not every one of them studies history or sociology where they will get the chance to learn something about African-American history, which is an important part of their country hence, the importance of every child from kindergarten to twelve-grade learning about African-American history.
This idea of amending the education law instructing in African-American history is necessary, and would help in the sense that; whatever young people are exposed to from children goes a long way in shaping their mind, and help them in making concrete decisions as they grow. Teaching African-American history in K-12 will help expand young peoples' know- ledge on contributions African-American people made and still make in getting this country to where it is now. I believe the African-American community has come very far from no voice at all, to making huge contributions, and overcoming many setbacks, which is worth teaching. It is not enough, to only talk of these contributions in just a month and more likely forget it afterwards. Children needs to learn and appreciate these contributions and achievements just as they learn and appreciate American history or global history. One may wonder, if African-American people in United States are part of the US, then isn't American history enough to teach children about African-American history? The US history course taught in high schools does not delve as much into the history of African-American people and it may not even be possible to infuse the majority if not all African-American history with American history.
Thus, the need to have a component of African-American history in the course instruction for K-12 children. Again, teaching these children African-American history and culture in school will provide a good opportunity in exploring the idea of race as social and political construction. Many students see race as immutable, a fixed concept that has rarely changed overtime. Many young people assume that because white historically meant good and African-American is bad/evil, Europeans or white people have always been biased against those of African descend and racism is just an extension of ancient practices. Teaching young people at an early age about the actual history of African-American people can help reduce the many misconceptions surrounding African-Amer- ican and white people and race, and can reduce the stereotypes young people grow up adhering to. For instance, young people needs to know that racial classification as a scientific concept is an 18th -century invention and not just an ancient everlasting practice which nothing can be done in regards to it.
Moreover, teaching school children on the history of African-American people will help many of New York children appreciate African-American historical events in New York. For instance, the creation of the center for Abolitionists. By the year 1835, about 600 abolitionists gathered at the Bleecker street Baptist church in Utica for the inaugural meeting of the NYS Anti-Slavery Society. This meeting lead to the creation of the Smithfield community center in Peterboro, which now houses the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum.
Also, the hands-on-history "King Manor" in Jamaica, Queens is a museum dedicated to preserve home and legacy of Rufus King. Having children learn African-American history will help recall this unspoken opponent of slavery. Another event worth knowing, which will be a part of what will be taught should African-American history be incorporated in schools is the 1800s meeting the people lead by African American newspa- per editor and a major voice in abolition, Fredrick Douglass a resident of Rochester. At the flight of freedom exhibit in Rochester Museum and science center, interactive exhibits reveal his story along with those of freedom seeking and former enslaved Africans including Austin Steward, Harriet Jacobs and revered Thomas James..
Legislative history
2017-18: S.5454-B/A.7192-A
Fiscal implications
Minimal
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.