House Bill 595

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO FULLY IMPLEMENT AN EXISTING COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM AND IMPLEMENT COURSES IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES AND RACIAL DIVERSITY TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AS AN OPTIONAL ELECTIVE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. In addition to the curriculum otherwise required by law or the State Board of Education to be taught in the public schools of this state, the board shall fully implement an existing comprehensive curriculum and implement courses in African-American Studies and Racial Diversity for all students in Grade 9 through Grade 12, which shall be offered as an optional elective. In addition to meeting the competencies and objectives established by the State Board of Education in the Mississippi Social Studies Framework, the African-American Studies and Racial Diversity course must:

(a) Provide students with an examination of the contributions of people of African descent to American history and emphasis on the importance of diversity in American culture;

(b) Provide a chronological framework of African and African-American history;

(c) Broaden the knowledge and understandings of students interested in learning about the histories, cultures and economic, geographic and political realities of African Americans;

(d) Provide students with an opportunity to engage with the social, economic and political activities of African Americans;

(e) Consist of historical content taught with relevance to contemporary and current issues in order to ensure a deeper understanding of cultural issues of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which have impacted the diverse ethnic and racial populations of the state and nation;

(f) Infuse African-American Studies and Racial Diversity as an integral part of American History, including:

(i) Slavery;

(ii) Post slavery;

(iii) The Civil Rights Movements and its contributions;

(iv) Reconstruction;

(v) Harlem Renaissance;

(vi) World Wars I and II; and

(vii) Other national and global events.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.