As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 799

2025-2026

Representatives Williams, Sims

Cosponsors: Representatives Thomas, C., Synenberg, Jarrells, Willis, Thomas, D., Gross, Daniels, Deeter, Odioso, Ritter, Salvo, Hiner, King, Klopfenstein

To enact section 3301.0722 of the Revised Code regarding model curriculum for world history that includes ancient African civilizations and global influence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3301.0722 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3301.0722. (A) The general assembly finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The teaching of world history in Ohio's schools must reflect the full and accurate story of human civilization, including the significant contributions of African peoples and cultures throughout recorded history.

(2) Black history does not begin in the year 1619, nor is it defined solely by the period of enslavement or oppression that followed. Before the transatlantic slave trade, Africa was home to some of the world's most advanced civilizations and societies that gave rise to powerful kingdoms and empires, great centers of learning, and achievements in writing, mathematics, architecture, astronomy, and governance that influenced cultures across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

(3) The civilizations of Mali, Songhai, Ghana, Nubia, Kush, Axum, Carthage, Great Zimbabwe, and the Moorish dynasties of north Africa and Spain played vital roles in the development of global trade, science, philosophy, and religion. The histories of these African nations and peoples are inseparable from the broader history of the world.

(4) It is imperative that Ohio students are taught a comprehensive black world history curriculum that recognizes Africa's central place in world civilization and introduces students to the diverse heritage of black peoples across the globe. This curriculum shall include instruction on the historical, cultural, scientific, and political contributions of African and African-descended peoples before, during, and after the transatlantic slave trade. This education will promote literacy, civic understanding, and respect for the shared human story that unites all people.

(B) The department of education and workforce shall develop a model curriculum for instruction in world history that includes all of the following:

(1) Ancient African civilizations and global influence, which shall include instruction on all of the following:

(a) Ancient Egypt and Nubia, including an emphasis on Nubia's role as both a rival and successor kingdom to Egypt;

(b) Carthage and Hannibal Barca, including north Africa's military and maritime significance in antiquity;

(c) Great Zimbabwe, including African architecture and trade with China and the Middle East;

(d) The kingdom of Axum (Ethiopia), including its conversion to Christianity and long-standing independence;

(e) The kingdom of Kush, including its iron industry, trade networks, and influence on Mediterranean cultures;

(f) The Mali empire and Mansa Musa, including his pilgrimage to Mecca, global wealth, and scholarship at Timbuktu;

(g) The Moors in Spain, including the scientific, architectural, and philosophical contributions of African Muslims in Europe;

(h) The Songhai empire, including west Africa's role in trade, governance, and early universities.

(2) Trade, culture, and knowledge transmission, which shall include instruction on all of the following:

(a) African contributions to mathematics, medicine, and architecture, including its influence on Greek, Roman, and Islamic civilizations;

(b) African maritime trade in the Indian ocean, including east African city-states of Kilwa, Sofala, and Zanzibar, and their global commerce;

(c) Trans-Saharan trade routes, including gold, salt, and intellectual exchange across Africa and the Middle East;

(d) Timbuktu and African scholarship and the centers of learning that rivaled medieval Europe.

(3) The African diaspora and global movements, which shall include instruction on all of the following:

(a) Black participation in global revolutions, including African-descended soldiers in the American and French revolutions;

(b) The Haitian revolution, as the first successful slave revolt that created an independent republic;

(c) Maroon societies and resistance movements regarding escaped slave communities in the Caribbean and South America;

(d) Pan-Africanism and early global black leadership, including figures like Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois;

(e) The transatlantic slave trade, including the economic, cultural, and demographic impact on Africa and the Americas.

(4) Modern Africa and decolonization, which shall include instruction on both of the following:

(a) European colonization and the scramble for Africa, including how partition reshaped the continent;

(b) African independence movements, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and others as models of postcolonial identity.

(C) When the model curriculum has been developed, the department shall notify all school districts, community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, and STEM schools established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code of the content of the curriculum. Any district or school may utilize the model curriculum.