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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 13, 2025
Black History Matters Act
This bill directs the National Museum of African American History and Culture to study and report on Black history education in public elementary and secondary schools.
Among other elements, the study must (1) identify the states and local educational agencies that require (and those that do not require) Black history education as part of the curriculum taught in public elementary and secondary schools, (2) assess the quality of Black history education provided by schools, and (3) assess the types and quality of instructional material used to teach students about Black history.
People & committees
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] · D–NJ
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: May 30, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-13 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Black History Matters Act would require the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to study how public elementary and secondary schools teach Black history. The study would examine where instruction is required, teaching quality, materials, and course coverage. The director would report the results to Congress.
This Act may be cited as the Black History Matters Act.
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.
(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;
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.
If enacted, the bill would require the director to begin the study within 180 days after enactment and finish it within three years after enactment.
(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.
The study would identify which states and local education agencies require Black history instruction in public elementary and secondary school curricula and which do not.
(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;
The director would assess teaching quality using both descriptive and numerical analysis. Indicators could include classroom discussions, activities outside class such as homework, and learning through real-world, personally meaningful projects.
(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;
The term project based learning means a teaching method through which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.
The study would assess instructional materials, examine how long and comprehensive Black history courses or lessons are, and analyze how schools measure students’ knowledge, including traditional and nontraditional assessments.
(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.
After completing the study, the director would have to submit a report of its results to Congress within 180 days.
(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).
The bill would use existing federal education-law definitions of elementary school, secondary school, local educational agency, and State.
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).
For this study, Black history would include Black life in the United States and worldwide, with a specific focus on African Americans’ triumphs, struggles, and political, social, and cultural achievements in the United States.
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.
The bill would define Black history education by its intended purposes: improving understanding of people of African descent, especially in U.S. history; teaching about slavery that treated people as property, Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil Rights movement to raise awareness about preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry; and studying racism, discrimination, propaganda targeting Black people, and changes in white supremacy over time. These are defined educational aims, not evidence that particular outcomes would occur.
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.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated May 30, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on House Administration on February 13, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-05-30T19:25:44Z. 2025-02-13: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. 2025-02-13: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-13. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: May 30, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI