In a shocking development, a school asked its students to write a letter pretending they are employed as a slave on a plantation.
The students of Purvis Middle School were told to write a letter "to your family back in Africa or in another American state" describing the life of a slave in a Deep South state in the US.
The students, most of them white, were asked to describe the boat "journey" across the Atlantic, the "day-to-day tasks" that slaves used to do, the "family you live with" and "how you pass your time when you aren't working".
A local Black Lives Matter group has lashed out against the exercise conducted at school, saying it was an attempt to "whitewash" history.
Some others also slammed the exercise calling it "tone deaf" and "inappropriate”.
According to reports, Purvis Middle School prinicipal later sent a letter apologising to parents for the controversial exercise but claimed that the whole matter was taken out of context.
The Grade 8 assignment stated: "Pretend like you are a slave working on a Mississippi plantation. Write a letter to your family back in Africa or in another American state describing your life. You may discuss the journey to America, as well as the day-to-day tasks you perform. You may also want to tell about the family you live with/work for and how you pass your time when you aren't working. Write at least three paragraphs (5 sentences) in your letter."
It is to be noted that over 20 lakhs lost their lives during that "journey" across the Atlantic as 12 million Africans who were captured to work as slaves were taken to the Americas.
