Cotton Picking Day
Imagine one day that Aidan came home and said to me “Ma, tomorrow is Cotton Picking Day at school, we get to dress like slaves at school! Yay!” That almost happened at a school here in Mississippi, until somebody complained about Cotton Picking Day and it was canceled. I kid you not, but I know you don’t believe me. Okay, you’ve called my bluff, now read for yourself.
Why on earth would anyone think that it was a good idea to teach children about slavery by having Cotton Picking Day at school? Did I miss something, or was slavery one of the most reprehensible acts in America…and now it’s somehow fun to dress up in your best slave outfit and go to school?
I could be wrong, but normally when you dress up and pretend to be something or someone, it’s supposed to be fun. Let’s see…St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, Mardi Gras….yep, all fun, celebratory events. What is fun about dressing up as a slave? What was on the Cotton Picking Day Agenda? Was there a cotton field on the playground? A tree and a whip? An auction block? A “big house”?
Aside from the moments of general “huh?” that I’ve been having since I heard this, I really am trying to understand its educational value. As a parent, I certainly want my son to learn the history of this country, the history of his people, and the interrelation of both of those things. However, I do not want him to have the impression that anything about slavery should be associated with a good time, and he should never be left with the idea that “slavery wasn’t that bad, I had fun that day at school when I dressed like a slave and picked cotton!” The very idea of that is shameful. Frankly, the very idea of any of this is shameful.
What in the world…who in the world…
I second that ‘huh?’
I do believe I’m speechless.
Wow, Just wow!
Okay, I’m from Alabama and yet this shocks me. My mouth was open while reading this.
WTF???!!!
I’m hoping they were trying to give kids an idea of just how hard it was to be out in the fields all day picking cotton. Hard thing to impress upon kids cause they see it as a “fun field trip” and dressing up doesn’t help. At all.
WTF? I can’t believe they ever thought this was appropriate.
I’m from MS, too, and I’m so shocked at this. Isn’t this Feb 2009? Let me check my calendar.
I refused to look yesterday and I refuse to look today. Unbelievable. Thanks again for the use of your internet last night – you saved me!
Ok as funny as this is NOT your description of it initially had me cracking up.
On a serious note, WTH?!?!?!
I can’t even read the rest of the post.
all i can say is:
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!
seriously *smh*
Hell naw! You cannot make this ish up! Damn!
Will he be ABSENT from school that day?
This is crazy!
This is funny as ish… what’s the big deal, its not like the teachers were gonna have whips and make the kids say yes massa!! none of these kids were slaves, none of there parents were slaves, hell none of the grandparents were slaves… Why do “people” feel like they are still owed something from this…. jews aren’t askin for 40 acres and a mule and they had it way worse then pickin cotton… I would have made my kid dress as a slave and even givin him the lashes to match… They should be thankful they were brought here who wants to be president of africa??
Eddie, dood, I see that the entire point of this post is lost on you, so I won’t spend a lot of time trying to make sense. I think if you had actually read what I wrote, you’d understand my position. So, let me just say this. I wouldn’t give a DAMN what you would do with your kid. As a matter of fact, when they have Concentration Camp Day, you can dress their little asses up in gas masks and cotton sacks. When they have “Steal the land from Indians Day” they can come as they are with a BB Gun. However, as for me and my house, we’re going to operate in this world like we have a bit of common sense and decency.
Now, I don’t recall ever saying in this post that anyone was asking for anything. This blog might be free, but everything else I have was earned, and I anticipate that everything else I get will be attained in the same manner. And, sweetie, I got a lotta shit. A life in Africa where the land was rich, the resources were plentiful, and life was being lived freely would have sufficed just fine. God would have taken care of us there, just like he did here.
I’m laughing right now out of sure unbelief and there’s nothing to add to Eddie’s comment since my sister so beautifully responded. What I will say is this…..that’s some HOT GARBAGE!
awww don’t get mad cause I was having a little fun…. explain what the big deal is to have a “cotton picking day”… (See the post above. It explains exactly what the problem is, as I see it) did your kid have a problem with it??? (my son is only 4, he does not and will not attend that school.) was he like mommy mommy there tryin to make me pick cotton for the little white girls dress?? did they only tell the little black kids to dress up as slaves and the white kids to dress up as plantation owners?? before “parents” started bitching did they look at activities planned for the day?? There were no planned activities. I think it would have been a good history lesson.. if I’m lookin at this all wrong please educate me… I just don’t see what the big deal is about cotton picking day… I can respect your opinion. Apparently, there were a bunch of teachers and a principal who agreed with you. a couple parents (more than a couple — some white and some black) who felt wronged because they were offended by this ruined it for every other kid who could have learned something positive by it. Since you agree with the concept, please educate me on the positive lesson. I keep thinking and I just don’t get it. I think that’s way more ignorant then cotton picking day…. let’s see ruin it for 1000 kids or just keep my pansy ass kid at home…. which sounds more logical…. What sounds more logical is to stand up for what you believe in, and not let your child participate in assinine activities just because somebody else thinks its okay. You know, it’s that whole “if they jump of the bridge” concept. I just will not ever see how reliving slavery could be a positive experience. Granted, I can see how reliving it in the form of a play or production would have been fruitful, but that was NOT the plan. The plan was just to dress “up’ like a slave and have fun. Dress up like a slave and have fun — does that sound logical to you?
cops and robbers.. cowboys and indians.. batman.. superman.. how logical are these to an average adult… not very right. now how logical are these to a kid… see my point.. I think a kid looking at something without a preconcieved notion would get good from it. The kid isn’t seeing “slavery” as oppresive… Let’s put a bunch of kids playing dress up (participate) together to give them an accurate portrayal on the time. Now all children ask questions and its the job of us ( parents teachers) to educate them on the horrors of slavery. It just drives me crazy that because you (not towards anyone) don’t like the word slavery my kid could miss out on something positive, without even giving the notion a chance… you feel me…