Parents at Pittsburgh high school upset over question about slavery

PITTSBURGH — Parents and students are outraged after the Brashear High School principal asked students a question about slavery during morning announcements earlier this week.

Some are saying the question was inappropriate, but others on social media are defending the principal suggesting she was trying to start a conversation.

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"If you were forced into slavery, would you try to escape?"

That question was asked over the loud speaker to more than 1,200 Brashear High School students Thursday, most of whom are black.

"I was very offended. I was upset," Kevin Brown, a junior at Brashear, said.

Others say they understood that Principal Kimberly Safran wanted them to think critically about slavery.

"Some of them say if I was a slave I would have escaped or I would have done this. It's like, you don't know that people were brainwashed and why it went on for so long ,so just getting that understanding and I think that was the point of the question," Brashear senior Leon Blair said.

But after making the announcement, Safran realized it was the way she asked the question was the problem.

"It would have been probably more proper in a place like African American history class or African American literature class, but not a question for the announcements," she said.

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