Res 0528-2026

Res. No. 528 ..Title Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to amend the Education Law, in relation to requiring instruction on the history, contributions, and experiences of people of African descent in public schools ..Body By Council Members Joseph, Far�as, Wilson, Louis and Restler Whereas, The New York City ("NYC" or "City") public school system is the largest in the United States (U.S.), serving more than 900,000 students enrolled in nearly 1,600 schools; and Whereas, New York State ("NYS" or "State") Education Law � 801 requires the Board of Regents to prescribe courses of instruction in "patriotism, citizenship, civic education and values, our shared history of diversity, the role of history of diversity, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery (including the freedom trail and underground railroad), the Holocaust, and the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850," reflecting a recognition that discrete subject areas of historical significance warrant dedicated instructional mandates; and Whereas, The history of people of African descent is a vast, continuous narrative that extends far beyond enslavement and Reconstruction, deeply rooted in Africa's ancient civilizations, which made foundational contributions to human society, science, and global trade; and Whereas, The history of people of African descent further includes the civil rights and Black liberation movements, and the profound contributions of people of African descent to American science, medicine, politics, law, literature, and the arts - contributions that are integral to the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of NYC and the U.S.; and Whereas, Yet, there is no statutory mandate requiring comprehensive instruction on the history, contributions, and experiences of people of African descent, leaving Black history instruction inconsistently implemented across the State; and Whereas, In December 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation codified at NYS Education Law � 805, authorizing a statewide survey of instruction on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and establishing an advisory committee to support that content in schools, further affirming the importance of identity-specific historical instruction; and Whereas, Research consistently demonstrates that gaps in racially-affirming and historically-accurate curriculum contribute to disparate educational outcomes for Black students, and that inclusive curriculum benefits all students by fostering a more complete understanding of American history and civic identity; and Whereas, NYC's Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan, developed pursuant to Charter � 3403 and the 2022 Racial Justice Charter Amendments, establishes a governmentwide framework to address long-standing racial disparities across public policy, services, and practices - including education - and a binding State instructional mandate on the history of people of African descent would directly strengthen the City's equity commitments in the classroom; and Whereas, As the U.S. prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, this historic milestone presents a singular opportunity to reaffirm the founding ideals of liberty and equality for all - ideals that cannot be fully honored without an honest and comprehensive accounting of the history, struggles, and contributions of people of African descent, whose labor, resistance, and ingenuity helped build the very nation whose founding ideals they were so long denied; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to amend the Education Law, in relation to requiring instruction on the history, contributions, and experiences of people of African descent in public schools. CGR LS #19962 6/5/2026 10:26 AM