This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/usa/517148-mississippi-school-whitewashing-slavery/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Mississippi school asks students to ‘pretend to be slaves’ for class assignment, gets roasted for ‘whitewashing’ slavery | Mississippi school asks students to ‘pretend to be slaves’ for class assignment, gets roasted for ‘whitewashing’ slavery |
| (6 months later) | |
| A middle school in Purvis, Mississippi is under fire after students were asked to pen a letter from the perspective of a plantation slave, with the assignment condemned as “hurtful” and “tone deaf” by local activists. | A middle school in Purvis, Mississippi is under fire after students were asked to pen a letter from the perspective of a plantation slave, with the assignment condemned as “hurtful” and “tone deaf” by local activists. |
| As part of a class project, eighth graders at Purvis Middle School were told to “pretend like you are a slave working on a Mississippi plantation” and to imagine their day-to-day lives, their journey to the United States and the type of labor they were forced to perform, among other things. But a photo of the assignment making the rounds on Twitter on Wednesday has stoked outrage among some residents, insisting the letter project made light of the horrors of chattel slavery. | As part of a class project, eighth graders at Purvis Middle School were told to “pretend like you are a slave working on a Mississippi plantation” and to imagine their day-to-day lives, their journey to the United States and the type of labor they were forced to perform, among other things. But a photo of the assignment making the rounds on Twitter on Wednesday has stoked outrage among some residents, insisting the letter project made light of the horrors of chattel slavery. |
| “It’s just another way that Mississippi is trying to whitewash its history,” Reginald Virgil, president of the Mississippi chapter for Black Lives Matter, told the Daily Beast, which first reported the story. He also criticized the use of the term “work,” suggesting it downplayed the forced labor slaves were made to endure. | “It’s just another way that Mississippi is trying to whitewash its history,” Reginald Virgil, president of the Mississippi chapter for Black Lives Matter, told the Daily Beast, which first reported the story. He also criticized the use of the term “work,” suggesting it downplayed the forced labor slaves were made to endure. |
| Another rep from the local BLM branch, Jeremy Marquell Bridges, was bewildered by the assignment, stating “I don’t know how a logical person teaches this. Like [how] someone who went to school to teach children could think this exercise was helpful in any way. It’s not helpful, it’s hurtful.” | Another rep from the local BLM branch, Jeremy Marquell Bridges, was bewildered by the assignment, stating “I don’t know how a logical person teaches this. Like [how] someone who went to school to teach children could think this exercise was helpful in any way. It’s not helpful, it’s hurtful.” |
| While the school itself and the local school district have so far remained mum about the hot-button project, principal Frank Bunnell has sent an emailed apology to parents, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Beast. In it, Bunnell apologized for “something like this happening under my watch,” but maintained the photo of the assignment circulating online had been stripped of context. | While the school itself and the local school district have so far remained mum about the hot-button project, principal Frank Bunnell has sent an emailed apology to parents, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Beast. In it, Bunnell apologized for “something like this happening under my watch,” but maintained the photo of the assignment circulating online had been stripped of context. |
| “A person could read just the assignment and draw a very unrealistic view of the true tragedies that occurred. That was not intended,” the principal wrote. “However, intent does not excuse anything. There is no excuse to downplay a practice that (even after abolished) spurs unjust laws, unfair economic practices, inhumane treatment, and suppression of a people.” | “A person could read just the assignment and draw a very unrealistic view of the true tragedies that occurred. That was not intended,” the principal wrote. “However, intent does not excuse anything. There is no excuse to downplay a practice that (even after abolished) spurs unjust laws, unfair economic practices, inhumane treatment, and suppression of a people.” |
| The mea culpa did little to tamp down on the criticism, as netizens also piled on condemnation, one arguing the assignment promoted the myth of the “happy Black slave.” | The mea culpa did little to tamp down on the criticism, as netizens also piled on condemnation, one arguing the assignment promoted the myth of the “happy Black slave.” |
| “‘Journey’ to America? ‘Day-to-day TASKS?!’ Free time when not working?? For f**ks sake! They make it sound like they immigrated here and got a cushy 9 to 5!” another user wrote. | “‘Journey’ to America? ‘Day-to-day TASKS?!’ Free time when not working?? For f**ks sake! They make it sound like they immigrated here and got a cushy 9 to 5!” another user wrote. |
| Yet another observer noted that the assignment appears to have been adapted from a “Christian fundamentalist” textbook that asked students to write near-identical “slave letters.” In the original, however, classes were also made to “explain how your family treats your slaves well” in order to rebut “a relative or friend in the North who thinks all slaves are mistreated and beaten.” Despite the apparent similarities, it is unclear if the textbook inspired the controversial project at Purvis Middle School. | Yet another observer noted that the assignment appears to have been adapted from a “Christian fundamentalist” textbook that asked students to write near-identical “slave letters.” In the original, however, classes were also made to “explain how your family treats your slaves well” in order to rebut “a relative or friend in the North who thinks all slaves are mistreated and beaten.” Despite the apparent similarities, it is unclear if the textbook inspired the controversial project at Purvis Middle School. |
| Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! | Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! |
| Dear readers and commenters, | |
| We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system. | |
| Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments, | |
| RT Team. |