NC School Accused Of Holding Slave Auction

A North Carolina mother said her son experienced a slave auction at J.S. Waters in Goldston last Friday.

Ashley Palmer addressed the incident on her social media, saying her son said his classmates held the auction and that one of his friends “went for $350 and another student was the “Slavemaster” because he ‘knew how to handle them.'”

Palmer also said she already has a video of Chatham County students harmonizing racial slurs.

On Monday, the mother told WRAL News that the students involved in the “auction” had been suspended for one day, but she didn’t know of any punishment given to those shown in the video.

“[Monday] at recess, the ‘Slavemaster’ ‘accidentally’ hit my son with a baseball four times upon his return to school,” Palmer wrote on Facebook.

Chatham County Schools Superintendent Anthony Jackson sent out a letter saying  school leaders were aware of students using “racially insensitive language and offensive imagery.”

“I want to be crystal clear: Racist, homophobic or otherwise hateful behavior or speech has no place in the Chatham County School System,” Jackson said. “We are better than this as a school system and a community.”

Jackson also said school leaders are working with the families of those students targeted by the incidents, adding that while the school system has put tools in place to encourage students to speak up when they are the target or witness of hurtful, racist, or demeaning behavior, the school system will also its processes to see if revised or additional resources are needed.

“The truth is, if children master academics but fail to appreciate the value of inclusivity, respect, and diversity, we as adults have fallen short of preparing them for tomorrow,” said Jackson.

But, other Chatham County students have spoken out on the other acts of racism that have taken place in the school system. Trinity Brooks said she’s hesitant about returning to class for in-person instruction.

“It’s like I’m being judged by my skin when I really don’t have to [be,]” said Brooks, who said she’s had enough of being called racial slurs by her classmates.

“I thought it was important to share my story because not everybody has to go through the same thing,” she said.

Brooks’ mother, Quinetta Brooks, supported her daughter’s concerns and opted for her child to learn remotely over claiming the in-person learning environment was too toxic.

“The whole bullying [and] the whole taunting — I have worked too hard to keep her away from that,” said Quinetta Brooks. “I try my best to allow her not to fall victim to these things because today, children are killing themselves behind this kind of stuff.”

Gerald Givens, who is with Raleigh-Apex NAACP, said they have seen an increase in the number of complaints now that students have returned for in-person instruction.

“Racism and discrimination exist in our society, and we need to deal with it,” said Givens.

“Black and brown children, at a young age, they are experiencing racism so that means that others have to be willing to learn so we can prevent it from happening,” he said.

Accountability involves more than just disciplining students for these harmful acts, Givens added.

“What needs to happen now is for the parents in this community, and all of our communities, when we see this news, we sit down and we have those hard conversations,” he said.