If there was any doubt that Texas is the frontline for the fight for the soul of our nation, that should all be removed by now. There have been recent headlines regarding the Texas proposal to remove the truth about our nation’s history. I’m talking about slavery, and renaming, and teaching it as “involuntary relocation”.

Leaders of this sad state of Texas, have once again demonstrated that they are not going to sit back and watch as others on the political right lead the fight to dismantle the truth about the history of our nation. From the racist anti-CRT legislation Senate Bill 3 passed into law last legislative session, to this new attempt to call slavery “involuntary relocation,” Texas leaders continue to push for a complete whitewashing of history. Ensuring that not one white child and their families are ever forced to accept the truth about what their ancestors did to others.

As this story spread across social media, people shared their outrage that this could even be proposed. People such as LeBron James and Jemele Hill shared the outrage we all felt in their Tweets.

We should all be outraged that we are reaching this point and that we have leaders in many parts of our nation who are committed to erasing our family stories and struggles from the history of our nation.

At the same time, we should also take a moment to notice that it is once again a Black woman, the only Black woman elected to the Texas State Board of Education, who is speaking out and standing up against this racist education proposal.

First elected to the Texas State Board of Education in 2018, Aicha Davis is no stranger to being a leader on education equity issues in our nation. Being a former classroom teacher herself, State Board of Education Member Aicha Davis understands how crucial it is to have environments in our schools that treat all students with respect and dignity. As a former science teacher she also understands how important it is to be honest and truthful.

Davis has been a leader on crucial education equity issues in Texas over the past four years. She has led the fight in Texas to pass the Texas CROWN Act and end the blatant discrimination that many students have faced in our schools over our natural hair. Not to mention, she led the fight to have Texas adopt the first ever approved African American studies course for high school students in Texas. 

It should come as no surprise that when this proposal to rewrite slavey as “involuntary relocation” came before the Texas State Board of Education, it was her lone voice that called out this racist proposal and demanded that it be rejected. 

It’s crucial as we continue to fight these racist education proposals across our nation, that we acknowledge the recurring theme in America of Black women standing up and fighting back to protect and fight for truth, justice, and equality in our nation.

Just as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Maya Angelou, Congresswoman Shirly Chisholm, Dr. Opal Lee, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Vice President Kamala Harris, Professor Kimberle Crenshaw, Professor Nikole Hannah-Jones, and so many others have led this fight for equality in our nation. We now have another leader in Texas State Board of Education Member Aicha Davis.

We have a responsibility to rally around Texas State Board of Education Member Aicha Davis and provide her with crucial moral and direct support as she engages those who are pushing for these blatantly racist proposals. 

Black women are truly the soul of our nation. The reality is that without Black women, our nation would fully embrace these racist movements to not only rewrite history and deny the truth but set a foundation in place for the rise of segregation and the dismantling of progress made on civil rights issues over the last century.

By standing with her and the other women leaders in our community who are pouring their souls into these fights, we can push back on these attacks and continue to move our nation forward towards ensuring truth, justice, and equality for all.

Haley Taylor Schlitz is 19 years old and the youngest Black person to graduate from law school in the history of the United States. In May of 2022, Haley graduated with her Juris Doctor from the SMU Dedman School of Law. In May of 2019, she became Texas Woman’s University’s youngest graduate in history when she graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Woman’s University College of Professional Education. She is also the host of the online show Zooming In w/Gen Z. Follow all her endeavors on Instagram and Twitter