In what many are calling a poorly thought out lesson plan on Colonial America, fifth grade students at a New Jersey school were charged with creating their own slave auction posters.
Some students’ placards also advertised rewards for runaway slaves.
The completed assignments then were hung up along the walls of South Mountain Elementary School.
“Some parents had complained about the auction posters, which contained such wording as ‘Men: aged from 20-26, strong’ and ‘Anne, aged 12 years, a fine house girl,'” according to CNN.
Responding to the objections, Superintendent John J. Ramos said “We are rethinking the Colonial America Project for next year, and will eliminate the example of a slave auction poster.”
Students at the school in South Orange were assigned to examine “the ugly and foundational role that slavery played in Colonial America,” Ramos said. They were asked to select a colony to research and then complete tasks, including creating ads for slave auctions, using their research, he said.
But after the posters were hung in the school, some local residents were outraged.
One, Jamil Karriem, posted images of the posters on Facebook last week and encouraged parents to complain to South Mountain Elementary Principal Alyna Jacobs and to the district.
“These images were on display for all students (ages ranging from 4-10) to see, including those that would lack any context of the underlying ‘lesson’ or ‘purpose,'” Karriem said on Facebook. “It is COMPLETELY lost on me how this project could be an effective way to teach any student in any age group about American history.”
Ramos noted the assignment “has been going on for 10 years,” according to a New Jersey News 12 report.
The poster image used by CNN in its tweet of the story indicates the classroom lesson was lacking in basic facts — like the year in which slavery was abolished (20 years before the date noted, just in case):
School apologizes after fifth-graders were asked to make "slave auction" posters https://t.co/bhmzZ4p6JE pic.twitter.com/0TvwXChMOz
— CNN (@CNN) March 14, 2017
A US history lesson had suggested an activity like this way back during my second year of teaching. Even as a newbie I recognized that the exercise was problematic — especially so considering African-American students made up about 40% of the school.
Since everyone agreed, naturally, that slavery was an evil wrong, I had students create pro-abolition placards instead.
MORE: Most college students think America invented slavery, professor finds
MORE: Black studies prof says slavery ‘white people thing’
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