‘The View’ on Slave Homework: ‘They Knew What They Were Doing’

Sherri Shepherd calls it what it is, racism.

By Jorge Rivas Jan 10, 2012

On Tuesday morning the ladies on ABC’s ‘The View’ discussed the Atlanta-area elementary school that sent third graders home with some racist math problems.

"They knew exactly what they were doing and it was very racist," said co-host Sherri Shepherd, who has a six-year old son of her own.

Nine 3rd grade teachers at an Atlanta-area elementary school sent their mostly black and Latino students home with math word problems that referenced slavery, beatings and picking fruit–with no historical context.

"Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?", read one problem that went home with 3rd graders at Beaver Ridge Elementary school in Norcross, Georgia. For more details and analysis read my story "Atlanta School Sends 8-Year Olds With Math Homework About Beating Slaves" that was published earlier today.

In other hot topics, ‘The View’ co-hosts also discussed first Lady Michelle Obama and a new book that alleges she’s sick of being confined by the White House.