Fulton County school officials said Thursday they regret a racially inflammatory Civil War-era political cartoon being shown to middle school students and will review other complaints from parents about the school’s social studies lessons.
Several parents refused to allow their children to see a lesson Thursday at River Trail Middle School about the Civil War given by men dressed as Confederate and Union soldiers. Some parents also accused a social studies teacher of making racially insensitive remarks about African-American students.
The controversies have prompted some parents to request a meeting with school officials next week.
“We’re not saying you shouldn’t talk about” the Civil War, said parent Tenisha Mercer, who did not let her eighth-grade daughter attend the Civil War lesson and learned about the cartoon Wednesday. “But how it’s prepared is important and who’s at the table presenting it is important.”
The political cartoon, headlined “Worse Than Slavery,” shows a Klansman shaking hands with a member of the White League, a group dedicated to white supremacy. It also shows a person hanging from a tree and a black family with grimaces on their faces.
Fulton school district spokeswoman Susan Hale said Thursday the cartoon should not have been shown to students. She did not know it had been to shown to students before. It was shown to one group of students by one teacher. Hale said the cartoon came from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute, which provides services to local governments such as research and training.
Hale said she was unaware of prior complaints about the Civil War lesson and defended its intent. So, too, did the men in historical uniforms, who said they’ve done it for three consecutive years at the school and at least four other Georgia school districts. They had a display that included Civil War-era swords, bayonets and other items. It also included American flags and flags with the Confederate battle emblem.
Mike Couch, one of the men who participated in the lesson, said he was surprised by the criticism. He said his team has conducted the programs for 12 years. Their goal, he said, is to make students better understand the experiences of Civil War soldiers on both sides.
“When the war was over, they all came back and molded together and made this country what it is today,” said Couch.
Mercer and some parents objected to the use of flags with the Confederate battle emblem.
“You are glorifying a part of history that was painful to my ancestors,” said Mercer, who is black.
Hale noted American flags were also included and said it was not a Civil War re-enactment, as some parents claimed.
“It’s just a way to touch and see history in a different way,” she said of the display.
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