A North Carolina schools superintendent apologized Monday after Black students were “sold” by classmates in a mock “slave auction.”
“I want to offer an apology…to every single student who has ever felt unsafe while in our care, to every student who has ever felt demeaned, disrespected or marginalized because of their race, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion or disability,” Chatham School District Superintendent Anthony Jackson said at a Monday night board meeting. “In Chatham County schools, we proudly boast that diversity is our strength, and moving forward it will be our intentional focus to ensure that this celebration includes everyone.”
More than a week after a parent complained about Black students at J.S. Waters School being subjected to a “slave auction,” the Chatham County School Board unanimously approved the superintendent’s policy changes for the district in hopes of preventing similar racist incidents from happening in the future.
In his list of changes, Jackson vowed to take stronger disciplinary actions against students who engage in bigotry. He also wants to implement sensitivity training for all district staff members, Spectrum News1 Charlotte reported.
The “auction” sparked widespread social media conversations when Ashley Palmer, a J.S. Waters parent, posted about it March 4.
“HUG YOUR BABIES! You never know what they may be going through,” she wrote. “To say we have had a rough week is an understatement. Our son experienced a slave auction by his classmates.”
She said that her son had grown so accustomed to the disturbing behavior at school that he didn’t feel the need to tell his parents about it.
“His friend ‘went for $350’ and another student was the Slavemaster because he ‘knew how to handle them,’” Palmer continued in her post. “We even have a video of students harmonizing the N-word. Since when were children so blatantly racist? Why is this culture acceptable? …Parents teach your kids that this behavior isn’t O.K. Teach them also that SILENCE IS COMPLICITY! Laughter is even worse!”
The post gained so much traction that Chatham County Schools’ official Facebook page responded that faculty members were looking into the incident.
“[They] are taking this very seriously and have taken steps to ensure this won't happen again,” the account posted.
Before the meeting Monday, Palmer spoke during a news conference outside Pittsboro Presbyterian Church.
“The acts committed towards our son and other classmates were extremely disturbing, however, not surprising since this isn’t the first time our family has had to deal with racist acts towards one of our children,” she told the crowd, according to a video provided by The News & Observer. “This is not diversity and inclusion. This is not equity. This is racism and deserves to be treated as such. …Racist acts shouldn’t be disciplined on the same level as someone pulling another student’s hair with a one-day suspension. It should have its own designation reportable at the county level and handled with the significant consequences it deserves.”
Christy Wagner, another parent whose child was “bought” during the “slave auction,” spoke during the board meeting that evening.
“Over the past week, I have experienced every possible emotion there is over the events of nearly two weeks ago,” she said. “Some days I feel guilty and questioned if I’m doing a good job raising my son. I never thought in a million years I’d be standing up here talking about my son experiencing racism in middle school.”
Students who attend other schools within the district also spoke, decrying the incident and pushing for change.
“I am disappointed and disheartened by the events that happened at the J.S. Waters School,” said Ashley Perez, a senior at Jordan Matthews High School. “As a student of the Chatham County school system, I am ashamed that this event happened [in] my home county. This event did not follow the motto ‘collectively creating success.’”
“Racist behavior in schools has become so ingrained that it’s easy to be blind to it. …Our school should be educating us to be respectful and thoughtful, not to be ignorant of the way we may be hurting others,” Evelyn Munoz, another senior at Jordan Matthews, said at the meeting. “Some students are already taught behavior at home. And when nothing is done at school to correct this, it only becomes worse. Instead of shying away, what we need is a space where we can openly speak about race and inform ourselves about what it means in our society. We’re given facts and dates in history, but aren’t shown the everlasting consequences of discrimination in our housing, prison, or education systems. We can’t be prepared to fight racism if we’re not taught about it.”
A fourth grade student at Virginia Cross Elementary questioned where the teachers were during the alleged “auction.”
“This shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
Students in other schools within Chatham School District say they’ve also been the victims of racial incidents. According to WRAL, a high school student claimed that racism was so prevalent at Chatham Central High School that she was hesitant to return to in-person classes after going remote.
“It’s like I’m being judged by my skin,” Trinity Brooks told the news outlet.
She, along with other students in the district, reached out to media so they could share various stories of ongoing bigotry.
In Jackson’s statement, he noted that “creating safe environments for students is the first promise schools make to families.”
“Actions such as these are not reflective of who we are as a school system and will not be tolerated,” he insisted. “Those who participate in acts that demean any person are acting outside the values of our school system and will be held accountable using every means at our disposal. As painful as it has been to hear some of these accounts, I want to thank those who exercised the courage to step forward and speak their truth. It is now our responsibility to do the things all students need to be the true beneficiaries of the many wonderful programs and opportunities we have to offer in our school system.”
Chatham County schools declined to comment further.
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