Legislation mandating year-round Black history education in Delaware has passed a major hurdle as the state Senate voted 15-6 in favor of the bill.
The new legislation requires public schools and charter schools implement Black history education across multiple subjects for students in Kindergarten through 12 grade. Schools are required to develop lessons that recognize the impact of racial and historical trauma, describe the responsibility of all citizens to combat racism, and teach the methods social movements have used to achieve change. The bill also mandates that schools specifically teach the history of discrimination in Delaware.
Sen. Tizzy Lockman, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, told WHYY, “Fundamentally, what this bill is about is that Black history is American history, and we know that education is a great equalizer. We believe this legislation will bring equity, enhance diversity, allow our students to all feel included in the educational process, and also to know one another in ways that we think will certainly be constructive and productive.”
The bill has yet to be signed by Governor John Carney.