Liberty Writers AfricaRecently, a group of educators proposed that slavery be taught in second grade as “involuntary relocation” to the Texas State Board of Education. The idea was created by a designated work group for the Texas State Board of Education, according to the Texas Tribune.
The panel was instructed to incorporate the study of slavery into the second-grade curriculum while also taking into account Senate Bill 3, the Texas legislation that was enacted in 2021. According to the law, the founding of the United States should not be brought up when discussing how slavery and other racial issues should be taught in Texas public schools.
The President of the Houston Federation of Teachers, Jackie Anderson told ABC13, “Here we go with another attempt to conceal the truth. “There is no way that slavery could actually be called involuntary relocation and get the same meaning as what true slavery is.”
Anderson continued, “I’m sure they were attempting to operate within the bounds of the law, but there’s something wrong with the legislation that would compel someone to do that in the first place.
The workgroup has been requested by the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) to revise its proposal. The SBOE received a draft of the work group’s recommendations during our most recent meeting, and the Board expressed special concerns about some of the proposed phrasing, specifically the term “involuntary relocation.” The Board, by unanimous vote, instructed the workgroup to review that particular language, according to a statement from Board Chair Kevin Ellis.
The Texas Education Agency has said that any assertion that the SBOE is downplaying the role of slavery in American history is completely inaccurate.
People are still worried. A mother of two and the Director of Health Equity for the YWCA San Antonio, a non-profit dedicated to combating racism, Corin Reyes expressed disappointment.
“With my children, I don’t sugarcoat things; I want them to know the reality and know they are grown enough to handle the truth in an age-appropriate manner.”
She said, “If we all have honest dialogues and that starts with our children, then we can only go ahead.”
In November, the Texas State Board of Education is anticipated to vote on a new curriculum.
Liberty Writers Africa
