Texas Educators Propose to Refer to Slavery as “Involuntary Relocation”

You look at pictures of slaves and you see decent, hard-working black folks. You see pictures of black people today, and you see a bunch of violent thugs.

I’m comfortable with this new terminology.

I don’t see anything wrong with it.

New York Post:

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 not 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.

But was it really “involuntary”?

All the records we have show that slaves enjoyed being slaves.