§80s — Title 20 Education | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates a new federal project to gather video and audio interviews from people who took part in the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s through the 1960s. It will record memories from well-known leaders and the many lesser-known participants about events like bus boycotts, sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and major marches. Those first-hand stories will help build a detailed, primary record of the era. The project will also support and coordinate other groups that collect Civil Rights materials and serve as a model for museums, libraries, and universities. The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution will collect, preserve, and make the recordings available because they have experience running projects and public programs. The goal is to coordinate work nationwide, add to existing efforts, help local projects, and let current and future Americans hear directly from people who fought for civil rights.

Title 20, §80s

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Congress finds as follows:

(1)A fundamental principle of American democracy is that individuals should stand up for their rights and beliefs and fight for justice.

(2)The actions of those who participated in the Civil Rights movement from the 1950s through the 1960s are a shining example of this principle in action, demonstrated in events as varied as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the drive for voting rights in Mississippi, and the March to Selma.

(3)While the Civil Rights movement had many visible leaders, including Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, there were many others whose impact and experience were just as important to the cause but who are not as well known.

(4)The participants in the Civil Rights movement possess an invaluable resource in their first-hand memories of the movement, and the recording of the retelling of their stories and memories will provide a rich, detailed history of our Nation during an important and tumultuous period.

(5)It is in the Nation’s interest to undertake a project to collect oral histories of individuals from the Civil Rights movement so future generations will be able to learn of their struggle and sacrifice through primary-source, eyewitness material. A coordinated Federal project would also focus attention on the efforts undertaken by various public and private entities to collect and interpret articles in all formats relating to the Civil Rights movement, and serve as a model for future projects undertaken in museums, libraries, and universities throughout the Nation.

(6)The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution are appropriate repositories to collect, preserve, and make available to the public a collection of these oral histories. The Library and Smithsonian have expertise in the management of documentation projects, and experience in the development of cultural and educational programs for the public.

(b)It is the purpose of this subchapter to create a new federally sponsored, authorized, and funded project that will coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the American Civil Rights movement that will build upon and complement previous and ongoing documentary work on this subject, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve the memories of such individuals so that Americans of all current and future generations may hear from them directly and better appreciate the sacrifices they made.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 111–19, § 1, May 12, 2009, 123 Stat. 1612, provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter] may be cited as the ‘Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009’.”

§80s Findings; Purpose

Summary

Title 20, §80s

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Citations & Metadata