NorCal High School Scraps Annual Senior Auction Fundraiser Over Insensitivity Concerns
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- A Northern California high school is abandoning an annual fundraising auction to buy a senior for a day after classmates said they consider the practice insensitive and "all-around wrong."
The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that an African-American senior launched a petition to end the practice, noting February is Black History Month.
Lamari Johnson, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, said her ancestors fought against slavery and the idea of buying a human is wrong.
The event raises money for the school's senior ball. It was held Feb. 9.
The fundraiser allows students to pay for a senior to carry a backpack all day or do other chores.
Principal David Van Natten said he decided last week to end the tradition after hearing concerns from Johnson and others.
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