A Christian school in Wisconsin is facing a serious amount of backlash after a 4th grade homework assignment included a section that asked students to list 3 “good reasons” for slavery.
As reported by Click 2 News in Houston, students in an English class at Our Redeemer Lutheran School were handed a group assignment with one question that read as follows: “give three ‘good’ reasons for slavery and three bad reasons.” Many parents were shocked and outraged by the wording of the question. “It’s highly offensive and insensitive,” parent Trameka Brown-Berry said. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe they sent something like that home.
“Not only was my son in an awful position, but the students who weren’t black, because it’s that sort of mentality of not being able to see from another’s perspective and only seeing your lens– that’s what dangerous. That’s what keeps racism going,” shed added.
The school’s principal, Jim Van Dellen, did not release any statement to reporters but did admit that the assignment was totally out of line and “[…] was not, in any way, to have students argue that any slavery is acceptable.” The principal said a better effort will be made to communicate the potential teaching of sensitive subject matter with parents before it is brought to the attention of students.
Brown-Berry was the one who originally posted the assignment online and doesn’t regret drawing a firestorm of media attention to the school and the community. “Speak up, tell your story and voice your opinion because that is how you go about change. And that is what I was trying to model for my son,” she stated. There’s no word on whether or not the teacher responsible for the assignment will face discipline from the school.
