| Chapter 288 |
| 2021 -- H 5697 AS AMENDED Enacted 07/09/2021 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO EDUCATION -- AFRICAN HERITAGE HISTORY EDUCATION |
Introduced By: Representatives Williams, Hull, Alzate, Barros, Henries, Biah, Abney, Morales, Giraldo, and Cassar |
| Date Introduced: February 24, 2021 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by |
| adding thereto the following chapter: |
| CHAPTER 110 |
| AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY |
| SCHOOL |
| 16-110-1. Legislative findings. |
| The General Assembly hereby finds and declares that: |
| (1) Rhode Island holds a unique place in history with the establishment of its Royal Charter |
| on July 8, 1663, that marked the first time that a sovereign leader signed a charter guaranteeing that |
| individuals within a society were free to practice the religion of their choice without any |
| interference from the government. |
| (2) As Rhode Island became the first American colony to declare its independence from |
| Great Britain on May 4, 1776, it simultaneously was one of the most active slave ports in British |
| North America within the Transatlantic Slave Trade transporting thousands of enslaved Africans |
| to the colony, with the first documented slave ship arriving at Newport in 1696. |
| (3) The contributions of African Heritage Peoples from across the African Diaspora |
| representing all walks of life and their endeavors to learn and thrive throughout history and make |
| unforgettable marks in our state and nation as artists, scientists, educators, businesspeople, |
| influential thinkers, members of the faith community, athletes, and political and governmental |
| leaders, reflects the greatness of the state of Rhode Island. |
| (4) The United States Department of Education says "education is primarily a state and |
| local responsibility in the United States. It is states and communities, as well as public and private |
| organizations of all kinds that establish schools and college colleges and develop curricula." |
| (5) The state of Rhode Island also has previously demonstrated its concerns and interests |
| regarding raising awareness on the subject of African Heritage and History through the work of the |
| 1696 Historical Commission as established by the general assembly and signed into law on July 1, |
| 2014, and was tasked with developing a comprehensive African Heritage History curriculum for |
| Rhode Island public schools from kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) and said the |
| commission led by our secretary of state and comprised of scholars, civic, and educational leaders |
| developed and submitted a comprehensive report that included units of instruction and educational |
| resources. |
| (6) With the unifying call that Black Lives Matter, for racial reconciliation, and for social |
| justice during the summer of 2020, and citizen equity being reflected across the state, nation, and |
| world, the establishment of an African Heritage History curriculum in Rhode Island is long |
| overdue. Given the importance of the issue to the political affairs of the United States, as well as |
| the responsibility of the state to educate its citizens, it is a fundamental responsibility of the state |
| of Rhode Island to ensure that the critical subject of African Heritage History is included as part of |
| the curriculum in all public schools. In the words of civil rights leader, Reverend Doctor Martin |
| Luther King, Jr., "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think |
| critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of a true education." Doctor King further |
| stated, "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was |
| not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” |
| (7) It is the judgment of the Rhode Island general assembly to encourage that every board |
| of education in the state shall include instruction on the subject of African Heritage History studies |
| where in an appropriate place in the curriculum, for all elementary and secondary students. |
| 16-110-2. Definitions. |
| For the purpose of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings: |
| (1) "African Diaspora" means the term commonly used to describe the mass dispersion of |
| peoples from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades, from the 1500s to the 1800s. |
| (2) "African Heritage" means any one people with racial, ethnic and cultural ties to the |
| African Diaspora. |
| (3) "African Heritage People" means the people that can be seen in our many state residents |
| of African, white, bi-racial, Latino, Cape Verdean, Caribbean, and Native backgrounds. |
| (4) “Transatlantic Slave Trade” means the forced transportation by European slave traders |
| of various enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. Current estimates are that about twelve |
| million (12,000,000) to twelve million eight hundred thousand (12,800,000) Africans were shipped |
| across the Atlantic over a span of four hundred (400) years. |
| 16-110-3. Powers and duties. |
| The state shall adhere to the following procedures: |
| (1) The department of education shall collect and disseminate to every school district, |
| private school, mayoral academy, and charter school, and make available currently on its website |
| at |
| https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/CivicsSocialStudies/ResourcesonAfricanAmericanHistory.aspx |
| https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/CivicsSocialStudies/ResourcesonAfricanAmericanHistory.aspx(2) The the curriculum materials and such other materials as may assist local and |
| regional school committees, and governing bodies of any private school, mayoral academy, or |
| charter school, in developing instructional programs pursuant to this section materials on African |
| Heritage and History. |
| (3) (2) Every school district shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction on African |
| Heritage and History utilizing, but not being limited to, the materials collected and disseminated |
| by the department of education, commencing with the 2022-2023 school year. Nothing herein shall |
| require school districts to require African Heritage History instruction in every year, but that |
| African Heritage education and instruction shall be utilized during appropriate times in the |
| elementary and secondary school curricula, as determined by the local authority. All students |
| should have received instruction on African Heritage and History materials by the time they have |
| graduated from high school. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC001597 |
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