USA TODAY
Local activists are calling for racial equity training for a South Dakota school district after its high school’s rodeo club canceled a slave auction” fundraiser amid social media backlash.
“Ignorance is one thing, but straight-up blatant racism when you know the history of racism in our state is another,” said Julian Beaudion, a Black police officer who is part of the South Dakota Coalition for Justice and Equity and interim director of the South Dakota African American History Museum. “I don’t think there’s any excuse for what they did.”
For years, Faith High School s rodeo club members offered their labor for a set amount of time to bidders in exchange for donations at an annual fundraiser. The Washington Post reported that the Rodeo Club s adult adviser called the event space to cancel the event. This year’s auction in Faith, South Dakota, was scheduled for Monday.