Implementing Black Studies in America’s Public School Systems: A Focus on Delaware’s HB-198 Bill

• In Event: Diasporic Dystopian Futures in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

This abstract examines the ongoing challenges faced by Black Studies and African-American Studies in the United States, particularly in states like Florida and Texas where public discourse and opposition from white America, often rooted in the Deep South Bible Belt, persist. Despite efforts by political figures advancing racist agendas to conceal and distort America's history, the inclusion of Black Studies and African-American Studies in school curriculums remains a subject of legislative discussion nationwide. On June 17, 2021, Governor John Carney of Delaware approved House Bill 198, which mandates that all Delaware school districts and charter schools serving students from K-12 provide comprehensive instruction on Black history as part of their educational programs starting from the 2022-23 academic year. In this presentation, we, as faculty members from the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware, will discuss our involvement in collaborating with the state's Department of Education to develop the curriculum that will be implemented in Delaware's schools.

Authors

• Alicia Fontnette, University of Delaware

• Dr. Brandon Stanford, University of Delaware