Child Called A Slave During 'Civil War Day' At Georgia School: Report

KENNESAW, GA – A Cobb County elementary school has been hit with controversy after an African-American child was allegedly called a slave during a “Civil War Day” activity. The incident, which happened recently at Big Shanty Elementary School in Kennesaw, has greatly upset the child's mother, she said on Facebook.

Corrie Davis, the mother of the fifth-grader who was allegedly called a slave, said on social media that she believes the school must change after students were allowed to dress up for Civil War Day. (Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"Questions I would like to ask them," Davis said late Monday on Facebook, are "1. Why continue this activity? 2. Who is it benefiting?"

Watch: School Under Fire Over Civil War Costumes

She said that she had been brought to tears over the situation but now was ready to handle it with school administrators.

"I cried already. I had my tough days," she said. "I worried. I feared. I reflected. I prayed. But now? I'm strong. I'm ready. I'm fearless. And I'm prepared to continue on this path for the sake of my son but also for every other child in that building."

"I will be at the next board meeting and every other one until this is acknowledged and changed."

A flyer of the activity posted on social media says, “Your fifth-grade teachers are creating a Civil War Experiential Learning Day, as a culminating activity for the Civil War Unit in Social Studies.” It adds, “Each classroom will be transformed into one of the major events of the Civil War. We are not requiring students to dress up for this event, however, it creates a more realistic simulation when dressing in Civil War era clothing.”

"It's heartbreaking to know that my son was called a slave," Davis told WGCL-TV. She said that since she went public with the incident, including posting about it on social media, Cobb County School Board member David Morgan got in touch with her.

She told the TV station that her son asked a white student who was dressed as a plantation owner why he was dressed like that, and the student replied: "You're my slave."

The Cobb County School District sent Patch the following statement about the incident from spokesman John Stafford: “As part of an experiential learning activity dealing with the Civil War, students were given the option of dressing in period attire. No student was required to dress in period attire and any student that did so was not instructed, nor required, to dress in any specific attire.”

Morgan has reportedly called a meeting with school officials set for Wednesday to address the issue.

Image via Pixabay