CHICAGO – State Senator Jacqueline Collins issued the following statement today as members of the Senate Education and Senate Higher Education Committees convened to continue discussions on racial equity in education in Illinois, specifically focusing on the state’s curricula in regard to the Black experience in American history.

“For too long Black history has been a footnote to American history. It is time to close the knowledge gap for all students by integrating Black history into the American history curricula in elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools.

“When we teach our children, we should be teaching them in truth. The Black experience is part of the American experience, the human experience, and our nation’s rich and complicated history and should not be taught in a vacuum. It is my hope that these hearings are the beginning of an honest reckoning with the shortcomings of our history curriculum.”