SOMA District Reaffirms Its ‘Diversity’ After School ‘Slave Auction’ Project

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Following recent parent outrage over a school project that included students hanging “slave auction” posters in their hallway, administrators in the South Orange-Maplewood School District have issued a reaffirmation of the area’s “diversity and commitment to inclusion.”

But will that be enough for local parents and community members in the New Jersey suburb?

On Sunday, administrators sent a letter to parents and guardians, asking them to avoid taking on an “us versus them” mentality in the wake of a controversial “slave auction” project at South Mountain Elementary School.

• See related article: N.J. School's 'Slave Auction' Project Inspires Parent Outrage

The project– which was part of a larger unit on Colonial America and has been going on for at least a decade – took place the same week as South Orange Middle School reported multiple incidents of racist graffiti in its bathrooms.

The area has seen other alleged instances of racism and anti-Semitism in the past year, reports say.

• See related article: South Orange, Maplewood Students Make Racist Instagram Posts
• See related article: ‘Disgusting’ Swastika Graffiti Appears At South Mountain Reservation
• See related article: Bias Assault Reported In Downtown South Orange

Elizabeth Baker, president of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, and Superintendent of Schools John Ramos Sr. issued the following joint statement about diversity in the district on Sunday:

“The South Orange-Maplewood School District and our two towns pride ourselves on our diversity and commitment to inclusion. In an increasingly divided America, we have consciously chosen SOMA as the community to foster our children’s social and educational growth. In doing so, we must embrace all the opportunities and challenges inherent in striving for an inclusive and equitable community… As issues of intolerance and exclusion continue to plague our country, the reality is that schools are a microcosm of society, and are not immune to what goes on around us.”

The administrators continued:

“Our communities and district have not, cannot, and will not abide bias or intolerance of any kind… Our Board of Education has repeatedly and unequivocally articulated the district’s commitment to ensuring that the dignity and rights of every member of our school community are respected. We understand that celebrating diversity is not the same as embracing it, and that the adoption of policies is only one step. We all acknowledge that there are significant hurdles and historic inequities that are embedded in institutions at every level. We have much more, intensely difficult and self-reflective, work to do as we examine and correct decades of individual and institutional, explicit and implicit bias. As a community, we must not only recognize the resulting manifestations and harm, but work together with honesty and diligence towards solutions.”

Read the full letter to parents further below.

THE MICROCOSM: A ‘DIVIDED AMERICA’

Here’s what some Patch readers had to say about our original article on the “slave auction” project:

• “Last month it was the fried chicken debacle during Black History Month. And now this? This PC stuff is ridiculous. Boo hoo, you hurt my feelings… These administrators are a joke!”
• “There is no reason for teachers to harp on this subject matter other than to incite anti-white hatred. Show them ‘Roots,’ have a discussion and move on.”
• “South Orange/Maplewood are notorious radical schools pushing Black Lives Matter and ‘Hate Trump’ political agenda and indoctrinating children... They're [sic] real agenda is to shame white people for being white starting at the earliest grade possible.”

But other internet commenters expressed surprise and disgust about the project on Facebook:

• “Wow! I attended SMES for two years, I have to say this is very disheartening.”
• “It's extremely disheartening to see this occur at any school, but especially at one I once attended… I will definitely send a few emails.”
• “As a South Orange kid, I would've been mortified walking through the hallways and seeing this.”

At least one internet pundit hinted that the issue may be more complex than it seems on the surface.

“In my opinion, Maplewood and South Orange is a very racist, economically segregated place," the commenter wrote. "It's a liberal place if you're white or you're a privileged person of color, but beyond that it's not really that liberal or progressive here… The only thing this area has working for it is its diversity.”

• See related article: South Orange Offers Immigrants Sanctuary, Passes Resolution (PHOTOS)
• See related article: Maplewood 1st N.J. Town To Offer Immigrants ‘Sanctuary’ In 2017

‘THE MOST IMPORTANT – AND HARDEST – WORK OF OUR TIME’

According to school administrators’ letter, sent to the South Orange-Maplewood community on March 12:

“There is considerable work taking place in our schools on school climate, anti-bias education, culturally responsive teaching and restorative practices. The district is committed to this work and is planning to expand all these efforts in the coming year – despite the constraints on our resources. This is a top priority. Hate, bias and intimidation have no place in our inclusive school community.

“This is the most important work of our time. It is also the hardest. As we work with all of our hearts and energies, we know that there will be mistakes along the way, and there will be times that we stumble as we take risks in curriculum, instructional practices and other pertinent areas. That does not take away from the fact that we are in this endeavor, together, to be successful and to make good on our promise to give our children the support and tools they need to create a better future. We do not ask for you to be patient with us. We ask for you to partner with us.

“As we have discussed in the past, we must be intentional in our work to avoid the ‘us versus them’ mindset which can take hold. This is particularly important when children err – committing acts that seem to fly in the face of our community’s values and causing harm. While we of course address these choices appropriately, we must also remember that every child is a valued member of our school community, and deserves our support and guidance, even when they err. As our school communities respond, it is important to focus on the fact that everyone is committed to empowering our students within an atmosphere of equity, excellence, and respect.

“We are on the same side.”

School administrators concluded:

“In the next few weeks, we will be holding a town hall meeting and we hope you will join us in a healthy and productive dialogue to help us move forward. We will provide a detailed overview of policy implementation, professional development, curriculum revisions, and programs currently underway. Then, as a community, we will discuss current issues facing our schools. We hope to work together to optimally serve your children, our children, the students of South Orange and Maplewood.”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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