A Virginia elementary school staged a “runaway slave game” to mark Black History Month.
During a physical education class, children from third to fifth grades — including at least one African-American boy — had to pretend to be groups of runaway slaves as they worked their way through an obstacle course representing the Underground Railroad, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
“This is contradictory to our overall goals of empathy, affirmation, and creating a culturally responsive learning environment for all,” school principal David Stewart wrote in a letter to parents. “I extend my sincerest apology to our students and school community.”
The controversy comes after the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, and attorney general, Mark Herring, both admitted to wearing blackface in the 1980s. “The insensitivity is astronomical. We are in a racism crisis in Virginia, and the school is where it starts,” said Michelle Thomas, president of the Loudoun NAACP Chapter.
Referring to the black pupil, she added: “Obviously, he’s the only one that’s black, he’s the only one that could have ever been related to someone who used to be a slave, and imagine him carrying that stigma all through school.”
Stewart said the school will create a team of parents and educators to respond to incidents of cultural insensitivity. The school said it was reteaching the relevant history material but refused to say whether anyone would face disciplinary action.
