TX educators propose slavery be taught as ‘involuntary relocation’

Second-grade classes in Texas would use the term “involuntary relocation” to describe slavery under a new proposed social studies standard — leading to objections from education experts.

A group of nine educators advised the Texas State Board of Education to make the change as the Lone Star State develops new curriculum for students in its roughly 8,800 public schools, which occurs about once a decade, the Texas Tribune reported Thursday.

The proposed change came during a June 15 meeting that lasted 12-plus hours, but board members have since asked educators to revise the proposed shift, according to the state board.

“The board – with unanimous consent – directed the work group to revisit that specific language,” Texas State Board of Education chair Keven Ellis told the Tribune in a statement late Thursday.

The 15-member board will consider curriculum changes this summer after state lawmakers passed a law last year to eliminate topics from classrooms that made students “feel discomfort” – with a final vote expected in November.

Board member Aicha Davis, a Democrat representing Dallas and Fort Worth, insists the proposed language is not a “fair representation” of the history of slavery in America.

“I can’t say what their intention was, but that’s going to be acceptable,” Davis told the Tribune Thursday.

Part of the proposed curriculum suggests students should “compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and involuntary relocation of African people during colonial times,” according to a draft obtained by the outlet.

That sparked a call for revision by the state board, which suggested a careful examination of the language used, “specifically the term ‘involuntary relocation,’” the Tribune reported.

The proposal comes years after Texas got unwanted attention in 2015 for an approved social studies textbook that characterized African slaves as “workers,” prompting the book publisher to apologize and commit to a more thorough review process.

Ellis noted that slavery is currently not part of social studies curriculum for second graders, saying the effort is intended to fix that.

But Stephanie Alvarez, an educator who missed the June 15 meeting due to personal issues, said she found the proposed language to be “extremely disturbing” while declining to comment further.

A Harvard University history professor, meanwhile, said using “involuntary relocation” to teach young minds about slavery is revisionist history.

“Young kids can grasp the concept of slavery and being kidnapped into it,” professor Annette Gordon-Reed told the Tribune. “The African slave trade is unlike anything that had or has happened, the numbers and distance … Tell the children the truth. They can handle it.”

The working group that suggested the change is one of several submitting drafts to the state education board, which will ultimately decide to approve or reject them.

Davis said a draft of the new standard wasn’t among the proposed changes posted on the State Board of Education’s website.

“I don’t like it because it’s a personal belief,” Davis told the Tribune. “I don’t like it because it’s not rooted in truth,” she said. “We can have all the discussions we want, but we have to adopt the truth for our students.”

The president of the Houston Federation of Teachers also forcefully shot down the proposal, KTRK reported.

“Here we go with another attempt to whitewash the truth,” Jackie Anderson told the station. “There is no way that slavery could actually be called involuntary relocation and get the same meaning as what true slavery is.”

With Post wires