Two white high school students perform mock slave auction, parents outraged
Two white high school students apparently thought it would be a good idea to perform a 'slave auction' skit at a convention with other students and parents...
Two white high school students apparently thought it would be a good idea to perform a ‘slave auction’ skit at a convention with other students and parents.
The skit took place at the 2016 Illinois Junior Classical Convention, a gathering and competition for students studying Latin culture.
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The two students performed the skit during “roll call,” where students are encouraged to show their school spirit. Two students from suburban Barrington High School then came up to introduce themselves, and one had a chain around his neck.
“Today we are going to have a Barrington bro for sale,” one of the students said, according to cell phone video.
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Danielle McDaniels, who is African-American, was in the audience at the time.
“Watching a live slave auction, complete with chains, it was a bit much. It was overwhelming,” McDaniels told NBC Chicago.
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McDaniels is the parent of a student at Chicago high school Kenwood Academy, which also participated in the convention.
According to WLS-TV, the slave auction skit was “an attempt to show school spirit.”
The Barrington School District issued an apology for the slave auction incident:
Barrington School District offers sincere apologies to those offended by the actions of our high school students participating in the Illinois Junior Classical Convention this weekend. We understand the concern and are reviewing the incident with students and staff who were involved.
The teacher who coached the students also issued an apology.
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