A homework assignment on slavery drew sharp criticism after its graphic imagery distressed at least one Black family in East Lansing Public Schools.
Chelsea Wade said her daughter, an eighth grader at MacDonald Middle School, completed an assignment during Black History Month that presented violent images and descriptions of slaves, slave quarters and rebellions, then asked students to imagine themselves as enslaved people.
The assignment traumatized her daughter and the entire family, Wade said.
One exercise on the three-page worksheet showed students a photo of a slave rebellion in which a Black man is strangling a white man. It then asked: "Imagine you were one of these enslaved persons. Describe what would bring you to the point of fighting back."