Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat, speaks about a bill to create standards for Black history education at the Colorado Capitol on Feb. 28, 2025. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
Democratic Colorado lawmakers want to include Black history in the state’s academic standards for public schools as they anticipate more attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the federal government.
House Bill 25-1149 passed on a party-line vote out of its first committee on Thursday, with Democrats voting in favor. It would create an advisory committee to recommend standards on Black historical and cultural studies for the State Board of Education to adopt during its next review of social studies standards in 2028.
Academic standards are the expectation for what public school students need to understand by the end of each grade.
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“For too long, the contributions, struggles and triumphs of Black Americans have been either omitted or minimized in our history books. The result is a generation of students who lack a full and accurate understanding of American history and the cultural richness that defines our nation,” said bill sponsor Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat.
English is running the bill with Sen. Tony Exum, another Colorado Springs Democrat.
The bill comes as President Donald Trump and his administration target diversity initiatives across governmental sectors, blaming an array of inefficiencies and societal problems on DEI efforts. The U.S. Department of Education, for example, eliminated its Diversity and Inclusion Council following an anti-DEI executive order. Another executive order seeks to withhold funding to public schools that teach “discriminatory equity ideology.”
“Why this is important … to actually move this into a standard (is to) enshrine that it’s important here in the event that the federal government says it isn’t, and there’s something to hold people accountable to,” Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, said at a press conference before the committee hearing.
English said that the bill would not only allow Black students to see themselves more fully represented in the curriculum they study, it would also give every student a more nuanced understanding of Black history beyond slavery, the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Black history exists within all periods of American history.
“Black history is not just about slavery and oppression. While these chapters are significant and must be acknowledged, they do not define the totality of the Black experience. Black people are creators, innovators, doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs and so much more,” English said.
The bill would create a 17 member advisory committee of subject matter experts, educators and community leaders appointed by the governor and legislative leaders. The board would recommend standards that feature “actual accounts of the struggles and contributions of Black Americans in all fields of endeavor” and reflect “Black agency and resistance against oppression,” according to bill text.
The State Board of Education reviews academic standards every six years and will examine social studies standards in 2028. The last time it visited those standards, it added guidance mandated by a 2019 law that lessons should include experiences from minority groups including African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous people, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, religious minorities and LGBTQ+ people.
While the state sets academic standards, local school districts make decisions over specific curriculum.
Republicans on the committee said that while they agree that Black history is a crucial part of a well-rounded education, they found the bill redundant.
“I looked through our standards and all of the things that I heard people say ‘This is what we want, this is what we wish for,’ it is in here,” said Rep. Lori Garcia Sander, an Eaton Republican. “I know there is a question of whether it is being taught, and that which gets tested gets taught in our state, so unfortunately we don’t have a measure of how well it is being taught right now.”
Katie Custer, the manager of secondary studies at Denver Public Schools, testified that it is common for education systems to present “incomplete narratives” of Black history and experiences.
“This bill seeks to address that gap, ensuring that every child in our state has access to truthful and comprehensive learning experiences that elevate the contributions, resilience and joy of Black Americans,” she said. “Black Americans have been at the forefront of shaping our nation’s economic, social and political landscapes, yet many of our students graduate with little to no exposure to Black narratives, leaving them ill-equipped to understand diverse and complex realities.”
The bill next heads to the Appropriations Committee and then to the House for consideration.
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