A South Dakota high school has canceled its annual “slave auction” after receiving backlash on social media. According to multiple reports, images of the flyer for the event, which was set to be hosted by the Faith High School Rodeo Club, surfaced on social media. The flyer read, “AUCTION. Faith High School Rodeo Club’s Slave/Branding Auction. Pancake Supper – 5:30 p.m. Slave/Branding Auction – 6:30 p.m. Followed by a Pie Auction. April 26, 2021. Legion Hall. Faith, SD.”

“Slave auctions” have been held in numerous communities in the state for over the past 10 years. In the auction, a rodeo member is sold off to the highest bidder to complete chores.

According to a 2011 article by the Butte County Post, the “slave auction” offered “a day’s work from each of the active competitors. Club members are proud that most of them could handle about any chores from waiting tables to hauling hay or moving cattle. Club members also brought craft items they’d made for the auction.”

Back in 2012, a Black resident reportedly asked the rodeo club to change the name because it was offensive, but they refused. Kelly Daughters, Faith School District Superintendent, says the event has nothing to do with the high school.

Earlier this month, REVOLT reported that several ninth grade students in Texas were reprimanded for holding a “nigger auction” of their Black classmates on Snapchat.

In a screenshot of the auction, which was previously named “Slave Trade” and “Nigger Farm,” several students placed bids on how much they would pay for their Black classmates. One person wrote that they would only pay one dollar for a student named Chris, but it “would be better if his hair wasn’t so bad.” Another ninth grader placed a $100 bid on a student named Aven.

Check out the full flyer for the slave auction below.

Faith High School Rodeo Club