Third graders had mock slave ‘auction’ on field trip to plantation, Georgia parent says
Third graders participated in a mock slave “auction” during a field trip to a plantation, sparking backlash from Georgia parents, news outlets reported.
Gladese Cleaves said her 9-year-old daughter was on the visit when she and other W.C. Abney Elementary School students were put on a platform that resembled an auction block. Each child was given a “bill of sale” showing prices in comparison to modern-day cars, she told McClatchy News in a phone interview, based on information she received from her third-grader and a trip chaperone.
“The fact that a teacher did not stand up for my daughter’s civil rights when they were being put on a auction block and compared to a piece of metal is so disturbing,” Cleaves told WAGA.
The activity was reported April 11 at Mable House, an Atlanta-area plantation home. Cobb County, which leases the property, told McClatchy News in an email that a nonprofit group called Friends of the Mable House runs the property’s programming.
Friends of the Mable House directed McClatchy News’ request for comment about the activity to Cobb County. The county has countered the narrative of what happened, saying its parks department “investigated the complaint further and found that no ‘slave auction’ occurred.”
In an email, the Paulding County School District said a teacher didn’t know about the lesson beforehand. Students reportedly had visited the site over the years to “learn about 19th century farm life, see visual art, and participate in outdoor activities.”
This time, the district said kids were told to hold signs that compared the pricing of enslaved people.
“This lesson had not been part of the Mable House’s curriculum for Abney students prior to that day, nor was it described in the field trip materials or mentioned on the Mable House website,” the district told McClatchy News in its email. “Additionally, the storyteller did not mention to the teacher that this activity would be part of the lesson or ask if it would be appropriate to have students participate.”
The district also said it’s not going to Mable House for other field trips this school year and reportedly urged the property to remove the activity for future attendees.
“The nonprofit has hosted various groups for many years, and this is the first time the county has been made aware of any complaints,” Cobb County said in its statement. “County officials have contacted the group to address this complaint.”
The activity left some families outraged. Dad Larry Johnson told WANF he hopes it won’t happen again.
“That’s terrible for them to go through something like that,” Johnson told the TV station. “Adults shouldn’t even go through that let alone children in third grade. It just does so much to their confidence. It’s just demoralizing to be put under a scope as if your color matters.”
Cleaves slammed the activity, which she said let students think that enslaved people were treated like family members. On Facebook, she called for school workers to bolster training on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“They should not be able to do an impromptu re-enactment of a slave auction on your watch,” Cleaves told WSB-TV. “That is unacceptable.”
Mable House is roughly 15 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
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