School Meal Menu for 'Black History Month'
Students and Parents Protest "Insensitive Act"
School and Food Company Apologize for "Inappropriateness"
A middle school in New York, USA, received an official apology from the American food company that provided the menu after serving 'watermelon' and 'fried chicken' as school meals during February, which is 'Black History Month.'
On the 6th (local time), American media outlets CNN and Business Insider reported on Aramark, the American food company embroiled in controversy over 'unintentional racism.'
The racial discrimination controversy arose when students at Nyack Middle School in New York received fried chicken, waffles, and watermelon as school meals on the 1st of this month. In particular, the 'watermelon' and 'chicken' were problematic.
In the United States, watermelon is used as a symbol of an 'affordable fruit' favored by low-income Black communities with lower income levels. This has led to racist stereotypes such as 'Black people cannot resist watermelon' and 'Black people pretend to dislike watermelon but secretly eat it.' Fried chicken is also said to have originated from food cheaply provided to Black slaves by cotton plantation owners in the past.
As a result, when watermelon and fried chicken appeared on the school meal menu, students and parents at Nyack Middle School immediately protested strongly to the school, calling it a 'racist menu.'
David Johnson, principal of Nyack Middle School, publicly criticized Aramark, the large food company providing meals to the school, in an official statement. Principal Johnson said, "Serving chicken as the main dish and watermelon as dessert on the first day of Black History Month was an unbelievably thoughtless act," and added, "I apologize on behalf of the Nyack community for Aramark's racial insensitivity."
Following the statement from Nyack Middle School, a spokesperson for Aramark also issued an official apology, acknowledging that the lunch menu was inappropriate.
In the United States, February is 'Black History Month' every year. It originated from American historian Carter G. Woodson designating the second week of February in 1926 as 'Negro History Week' to honor the struggles and achievements of Black people. It commemorates the process by which African Americans overcame racial discrimination. 'Black History Month,' which began in 1970, has now become a tradition, with related events held throughout the United States during the entire month of February.
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