Sponsors (7)
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Authorizes the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to use federal funds to develop and expand education, research, collection, translation, digitization, outreach, and teacher-training programs that promote understanding of African American history. Requires annual public reporting and congressional briefings (which expire Sept 30, 2030) and provides $4,000,000 per year for five fiscal years starting in FY2027 to carry out the activities.
The bill expands Smithsonian-produced, digitally accessible curricula, research, preservation, and public programming to improve representation and instruction on African American and other minority histories — funded and overseen at the federal level — but it increases federal spending, shifts some
K-12, college students, teachers, and families nationwide gain free, Smithsonian-vetted digital and print curricula, translations, teacher professional development, fellowships, and digitized collections so classrooms have more accurate, accessible resources on African American and other minority histories.
Federal authorization provides predictable funding ($4,000,000 per year for five years) so agencies and the Museum can plan staffing, contracts, and program rollouts to sustain educational and public programs.
Researchers, students, and the general public gain better preservation and public access to historical collections through expanded staffing, conservation, processing, and digitization.
Taxpayers and Congress get regular, timely reporting and briefings (annual reports and committee briefings) that increase transparency and enable legislative oversight of program activities through FY2030.
Taxpayers ultimately bear the cost of expanded museum programs (authorized $4M/year, $20M total over five years) and the Act increases federal spending without specified offsets.
Framing programming through social‑justice or anti‑bias lenses and federal encouragement of specific perspectives may spark politicized disputes, local pushback, or legal challenges over curriculum content.
Schools, especially under-resourced districts, may face additional costs and infrastructure burdens to expand curricula, obtain materials, provide teacher training, or adopt technology-enabled resources.
Centralizing program oversight with the Museum Director and aligning programs with federal ESEA definitions could limit local control over how materials are taught and subject local programs to federal rules or reporting requirements.
Designates the official short title of the Act as the "African American History Act of 2026."
Defines “African American history” as the history of African Americans from the African diaspora to the present, covering migration to the Americas, slavery, abolition, Reconstruction, the civil rights movements, innovations and contributions of African Americans, and their impact on U.S. history and development.
Defines “African American history education program” as an educational program about African American life, art, history, and culture that may use digital, electronic, and interactive technologies and is carried out in collaboration with elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools.
Defines “Director” to mean the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Incorporates the meanings of “early childhood education program,” “elementary school,” “local educational agency,” and “secondary school” from section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
Primary direct impacts fall on educators, students, and the museum community. Teachers and schools gain access to new curriculum materials, professional development, and online resources that emphasize accurate and anti-bias approaches to African American history. The museum and its staff (federal employees) receive funding authority to expand collections care, digitization, translation, and public programming, enabling broader public access to materials. Museums and nonprofit education partners may receive grants, fellowships, or collaboration opportunities. Local school systems and educators benefit from resources but are not mandated to adopt specific curricula. The law provides a modest, time-limited funding stream (five years) and creates a limited reporting burden for the museum; it does not impose unfunded mandates on states or localities.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Introduced February 26, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress February 26, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Introduced in Senate