A proposal suggesting schools should call slavery âinvoluntary relocationâ has been rejected by the Texas State Board of Education.
The board issued a statement, saying, âAs documented in the meeting minutes, the SBOE provided feedback in the meeting indicating that the working group needed to change the language related to âinvoluntary relocation.'â
The statement continued, âAny assertion that the SBOE is considering downplaying the role of slavery in American history is completely inaccurate.â
The chair of the State Board of Education, Keven Ellis, told The Washington Post the board âvoted unanimously to send the language back to be reworked.â
He added, âThis board is committed to the truth, which includes accurate descriptions of historical events.â
According to Ellis, there was no attempt to âhide the truth from Texas second graders about slavery.â
Aicha Davis, a Democratic board member representing Dallas and Fort Worth, reportedly saw the proposed language the group of educators wanted to suggest and âimmediately questioned it,â as the Post reported.
She added, âI am not going to support anything that describes the slave trade as âinvoluntary relocation.'â
Davis continued, âIâm not gonna support anything that diminishes that journey.â
Texas education made headlines in 2021 after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed an anti-critical race theory bill, as The Hill reported.
The legislation stated that schools cannot teach that âan individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual âs race or sex.â
Additionally, schools cannot ârequire an understanding of The 1619 Project.â
Schools are also not allowed to teach that âan individual, by virtue of the individualâs race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.â
Students are required to be educated on âthe history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong.â
