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Slavery assignment belittles humanity

Published:Sunday | April 15, 2018 | 12:00 AM

 

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The Gleaner should be applauded for exposing Hillel Academy for the slavery assignment to its grade nine students. We should also

credit the board for the public apology.

All the choices on the slavery list were disturbing. What is uplifting or important about shackles and slave collars? No student should be required to chose anything on this list.

Slaves crossing the Atlantic in slave ships were treated like animals. Those making it to the plantations in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean were treated with cruelty. Thousands died en route. Many died on the plantations from exhaustion and brutal punishment

In some instances, animals were better treated than slaves.

Give some credit to those who set the fires to the great houses and sent Massa to hell. Let us tell the history of those slaves on the Amistad ship who attacked captain and crew and took over the ship along the east cost of North America in 1839.

This brutal list foisted on young minds does nothing more than shackle the thinking of our students and belittle their humanity.

R. OSCAR LOFTERS

Kingston 8