Bill Text: IL HB5817 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Sets forth a list of nonfiction, fiction, and children's books about racism that shall be required reading for students in every public elementary and secondary school beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. Requires that the instruction in the material presented by each book be age appropriate and taught at the appropriate grade level. Effectively immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-11-10 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB5817 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HB5817-Introduced.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 27-23.15 as follows:
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| 6 | (105 ILCS 5/27-23.15 new) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Sec. 27-23.15. Books about racism; required reading. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | (a) Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, every public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | elementary and secondary school shall include as required | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | reading in its appropriate grade-level curriculum the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | following books about racism: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | (1) Nonfiction books: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | (A) "Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism" by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | bell hooks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | (B) "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | (C) "Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Shapes What We See, Think, and Do" by Jennifer L. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Eberhardt, Ph.D. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | (D) "The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Enforcement" by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | (E) "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | (F) "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | (G) "From Slavery To Freedom: A History of African | ||||||
| 2 | Americans" by John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, | ||||||
| 3 | Jr. | ||||||
| 4 | (H) "Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That The | ||||||
| 5 | Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall. | ||||||
| 6 | (I) "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi. | ||||||
| 7 | (J) "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" | ||||||
| 8 | by Bryan Stevenson. | ||||||
| 9 | (K) "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla F. Saad. | ||||||
| 10 | (L) "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the | ||||||
| 11 | Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander. | ||||||
| 12 | (M) "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored | ||||||
| 13 | People" by Ben Crump. | ||||||
| 14 | (N) "Raising White Kids" by Jennifer Harvey. | ||||||
| 15 | (O) "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma | ||||||
| 16 | Oluo. | ||||||
| 17 | (P) "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by | ||||||
| 18 | Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. | ||||||
| 19 | (Q) "They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, | ||||||
| 20 | And A New Era In America's Racial Justice Movement" by | ||||||
| 21 | Wesley Lowery. | ||||||
| 22 | (R) "This Book Is Anti-Racist" by Tiffany Jewell | ||||||
| 23 | and Aurelia Durand. | ||||||
| 24 | (S) "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White | ||||||
| 25 | People to Talk about Racism" by Robin DiAngelo. | ||||||
| 26 | (T) "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People | ||||||
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| 1 | About Race" by Reni Eddo-Lodge. | ||||||
| 2 | (2) Fiction books. | ||||||
| 3 | (A) "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones. | ||||||
| 4 | (B) "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. | ||||||
| 5 | (C) "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. | ||||||
| 6 | (D) "Dear White People" by Justin Simien. | ||||||
| 7 | (E) "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide | ||||||
| 8 | When the Rainbow Is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange. | ||||||
| 9 | (F) "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson. | ||||||
| 10 | (G) "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. | ||||||
| 11 | (H) "The Mothers" by Brit Bennett. | ||||||
| 12 | (I) "Passing" by Nella Larsen. | ||||||
| 13 | (J) "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale | ||||||
| 14 | Hurston. | ||||||
| 15 | (K) "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. | ||||||
| 16 | (L) "The Underground Railroad" by Colson | ||||||
| 17 | Whitehead. | ||||||
| 18 | (M) "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith. | ||||||
| 19 | (3) Children's books: | ||||||
| 20 | (A) "The Colors of Us" by Karen Katz. | ||||||
| 21 | (B) "Happy in Our Skin" by Fran Manushkin. | ||||||
| 22 | (C) "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers. | ||||||
| 23 | (D) "Let's Talk About Race" by Julius Lester. | ||||||
| 24 | (E) "The Skin I'm In: A First Look at Racism" by | ||||||
| 25 | Pat Thomas. | ||||||
| 26 | (F) "Something Happened in Our Town" by Marianne | ||||||
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| 1 | Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard. | ||||||
| 2 | (G) "A Terrible Thing Happened" by Margaret M. | ||||||
| 3 | Holmes. | ||||||
| 4 | (H) "Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit | ||||||
| 5 | of the Civil Rights Movement" by Carole Boston | ||||||
| 6 | Weatherford and Ekua Holmes. | ||||||
| 7 | (I) "We're Different, We're the Same (and We're | ||||||
| 8 | Wonderful)" by Bobbi Jane Kates. | ||||||
| 9 | (b) Instruction in the material presented in each book | ||||||
| 10 | listed in subsection (a) shall be age appropriate and taught at | ||||||
| 11 | the appropriate grade level.
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| 12 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 13 | becoming law.
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