For Black History Month, Xaverian Brothers High School in Massachusetts thought it would be a brilliant idea to focus on Southern Black History and serve fried chicken for lunch one day. They quickly started getting questioned on their decision making skills. Apparently there was a supply chain problem with collard greens, grits and watermelon.
School officials apparently never learned that if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Their response was to keep digging:
School officials said the menu was chosen by an African American food service employee, and the announcement also explained newly-freed Black women gained financial independence by selling fried chicken after the Civil War.
That's the equivalent of someone claiming not to be racist because they have a Black friend.
Their quasi-apology didn't help much either:
"Regrettably, our message was poorly communicated, resulting in some perceiving it as the propagation of a negative stereotype," the all-boys school said in a statement. "We are saddened by this outcome. Going forward, we will strive to ensure that all members of our community understand the significance of our efforts to celebrate Black History Month.
They never explained why their focus on Southern Black History, which in itself is rather stereotypical. Couldn't they find any historical Black figures from Massachusetts or any other part of the country?
Nor do they say if they are offering any actual educational component to their effort to honor Black history. That would have been more substantial than a stereotyped lunch.
