S. 3953: African American History Act of 2026

The African American History Act of 2026 aims to enhance education about African American history in the United States by authorizing the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to support various educational programs. Here is a breakdown of what the bill intends to do:

Definitions

The bill defines key terms related to African American history and education. It emphasizes the importance of African American history, which covers the experiences of African Americans from their ancestors' arrival in the Americas to present day, highlighting their contributions and influences on U.S. history.

Program Authorization

The Director is authorized to use allocated funds to:

• Develop and provide accessible resources that promote understanding of African American history, including digital and traveling exhibitions.
• Conduct discussions and engage the public using a social justice and anti-bias framework through educational programs and social media.
• Enhance resource capacity, technical support, and content for engaging diverse audiences online and in person.
• Create and expand scholarly work through research, curricula, and exhibitions.
• Translate educational materials and resources to make them widely accessible.
• Improve processes for acquiring historical collections and increase access to these collections through various means, including digitization.
• Augment education programs with effective teaching principles and offer professional development for educators in collaboration with schools and educational agencies.

Online Resources

Funds will also be used to:

• Develop and maintain a dedicated website for educators, students, and families to access materials related to African American history.
• Distribute information about educational activities through this website and respond to inquiries related to the bill's initiatives.

Continuation of Activities

The bill permits the Director to continue any existing activities related to the promotion of African American history education that are already underway at the time of enactment.

Reporting Requirements

The Director is required to submit an annual report to Congress detailing how funds were used for educational activities and other initiatives under the act. Additionally, briefings will be provided to relevant congressional committees to update them on the progress of activities funded by the bill.

Sense of Congress

The bill expresses a general belief that educating about the histories of minority groups in the U.S., through a social justice lens, is important, and it urges the government to take a leadership role in this endeavor. It also encourages leaders of various Smithsonian museums to create educational materials relevant to their specific areas of expertise.

Funding Authorization

The bill authorizes $4,000,000 in funding for the fiscal year 2027 and for each of the following four fiscal years to support these activities.

Relevant Companies

• None found