WPBN: After a history lesson involving a piece of raw cotton allegedly resulted in bullying and harassment, parents have accused a high school in Virginia of neglecting to protect Black kids.
The cotton was given around by a teacher during a class about slavery and the cotton industry last Thursday, according to officials at Riverside High School in Loudoun County, which is in the DC metro area.
Pastor Michelle Thomas, who is also the president of the county’s NAACP branch, stated that the teacher’s failure to address the conduct it sparked was more of an issue than the cotton itself.
Thomas told local TV WUSA9, “The children then [began] making jokes about Black people being slaves, and it was just really embarrassing and degrading for the children.”
She went on to say that the teacher’s reaction to these comments was “inappropriate” and amounted to “no response.”
Furthermore, Thomas stated that it was “problematic” for a teacher to have cotton on hand because of the negative implications that the plant carries for pupils of African descent. He claimed that teachers need to be aware of these connotations.
“It was a poor demonstration. If she was going to demonstrate swastikas, she wouldn’t bring in a sticker. I’m not bringing in the Klan hood; I’m not bringing in, you know, the robe of the Klansman,” she stated.
“So the demonstration was of poor taste and judgement, and was culturally insensitive.”
The Loudoun County Public School System Administration is aware of a history lecture that took place at Riverside High School earlier this week, according to a statement sent by the Loudoun County school district.
An examination of cotton, the development of the cotton gin, and the institution of slavery were the topics of discussion in the lesson that was taught in a United States History class. A piece of raw cotton was distributed among the students as part of the conversation that was taking place.
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“The lesson was upsetting to some students. This is contrary to what we believe the teacher – and LCPS – strive to accomplish in our classrooms. It is the division’s intention to achieve a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. That is not what happened here and we must and will do better.”
It was also said by the school system that it had failed to adhere to its standard policy of contacting parents in advance whenever lessons that cover sensitive subjects were scheduled to be taught.
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There have been other instances in which the schools in Loudoun County have been condemned for engaging in activities that are racially insensitive when teaching about slavery.
After a Black student was selected to play the role of a “runaway slave” in a history lesson in 2019, the principal of another school in the same district issued an apology to the pupil.
