BILL REQ. #:  H-4690.1 

Read first time 01/27/10.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to encouraging instruction in the history of civil rights; adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that:
     (1) The civil rights movement did not begin or end with the dramatic events of the 1950s and 1960s. Since our nation's founding, ordinary citizens have struggled to fulfill America's promise of equality under the law.
     (2) Heroes of the civil rights movement include those who are well known such as Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But the list of heroes also includes those who are perhaps less well known, but each of whom gave something of themselves on behalf of their fellow citizens and in defense of equality and justice.
     (3) The significant milestones and fundamental principles of civil rights should be a part of every student's understanding of our nation's history. School districts should not only try to incorporate the history of civil rights into their regular curriculum at all grade levels, but should also take the opportunity to make this history come alive through the personalities and convictions of civil rights heroes.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
     School districts are encouraged to prepare and conduct a program at least once a year to commemorate the history of civil rights in our nation, including providing an opportunity for students to learn about the personalities and convictions of heroes of the civil rights movement and the importance of the fundamental principle and promise of equality under our nation's Constitution.