Controversy after Ohio middle school choir sings cotton-picking song at concert

Some parents at Springfield Middle School were unhappy after the school's choir sang about cotton picking not long after other students in the district filmed themselves with a Confederate flag. (Google)

Some parents at an Ohio middle school are outraged after hearing an eighth-grade choir sing about picking cotton mere days after other students in the district took photos and videos of themselves with a Confederate flag near the local high school.

“Cotton Needs Pickin'” was performed Thursday during a fall concert at Springfield Middle School in Lucas County, according to the Toledo Blade.

Parent Nicole Maulsby, who is Cuban, posted a video of the performance on Facebook. Her husband, Alonzo, who is black, left the auditorium during the song, she said.

Maulsby and online commenters contend that a song about workers happily picking cotton is a racist reference to black slaves toiling in the fields of the South.

Springfield Schools Superintendent Matt Geha said the song came from a book of American folk music, adding that he hadn't received any calls on Friday, but was aware of the complaints circulating on social media.

CONFEDERATE FLAG POSTERS PLASTERED WITH COTTON FOUND AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

“I know that timing can sound bad, but it's a historical component for what the choir department had to use for their curriculum,” Geha said.

The short song includes the lyrics: “Cotton needs pickin' so bad, we're going'na pick all over this field.”

Maulsby told The Blade the performance came “a little bit too close” to when a racial slur was “being used directly across the street in the parking lot.”

Earlier this month, about a dozen male students affiliated with a Christian youth organization called Young Life recorded themselves with a Confederate flag during what has been described as a rally. Some images of the rally posted on Snapchat reportedly included racial slurs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.