Denver school apologizes for MLK soul food lunches

Personally, I think this is no more offensive than serving “pizza pies” on Columbus Day. Considering this was Denver, Colorado this soul food lunch could have helped educate kids about American and Southern culture by showing them fried chicken and biscuits in context, that is, with collard greens.

I would like to point out to Mother Holladay, “who originally complained about the menu, e-mailed … a statement that said: “I’m confident we’ll see stereotype-free menus in the future” that soul food is not a stereotype. Soul food is a recognized regional American cuisine with restaurants, cookbooks and tv shows enjoyed by black and white people.

To say Soul food is a stereotype is like saying Chinese food is a stereotype. The more I think about this, the wackier it is. Some of kids’ favorite foods are Soul Foods like fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and apple cobbler.

Yes, more black folks than white folks eat Soul Food, especially North of the Mason Dixon Line. The best Soul Food restaurants are often owned and run by black people, the same way the best Chinese Restaurants are often run by (gasp) Chinese people.

BUT if Mother Holladay feels like a racist when she sees collard greens she should deal with her problem alone and not deny Denver’s children the pleasure of the gray green greasy greens with no Tabasco.  She’d have made a better argument by pointing out that Soul Food’s are often high in fat and sodium and unhealthy. But she didn’t. She called the lunch without watermelon, flaming crosses or grape soda racist.

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Legal experts in the area of Schools have contacted me and told me the menu was probably changed to avoid the cost of even a potential legal fracas. The change of menu shouldn’t be viewed as an endorsement of the idea the meal was “racist” but a tactic to avoid even potential legal expense.

School Sorry For ‘Insensitive’ MLK Jr. Lunch
January 15, 2010 | www.wapt.com

Denver Public Schools Lunch Would Have Included Chicken, Collard Greens

Denver Public School officials are apologizing after a parent complained that a school lunch meant to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stereotypical and offensive, reported KMGH-TV.

The lunch, planned for Friday, was to include southern-style chicken, collard greens and a biscuit in honor of King.

Denver Public Schools spokesman Michael Vaughn released a statement that said: “The plan to serve a Southern-style meal in recognition of Martin Luther King Day was well intentioned but highly insensitive in light of certain hurtful cultural stereotypes still harbored in parts of our society.”

Organizers of Denver’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Marade, a combination march and parade that honors King every January, did not consider the menu inappropriate, considering that King came from a southern background, but said there are other, more meaningful ways of honoring him.

“When you reduce it to the ‘I have a dream’ speech and a fried chicken and collard green lunch, you have just destroyed everything that Dr. King stood for,” said Vern Howard, chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission.

But in barber shops and soul food restaurants in Denver’s historic Five Points district, the tone was decidedly more relaxed.

“To me, I don’t see that much wrong with this,” said Franklin Stigal, owner of the Afro-Styling Barber Shop. “A lot of people are just griping to be griping.”

Chereka Dickerson, who helps run the soul food restaurant Welton Street Café, said the criticisms were over-the-top.

“If that’s the food that’s really associated with black people in America, why not celebrate it instead of trying to make everything negative?” she said.

Denver Public Schools changed the Friday meal to the manager’s choice for Friday. Jennifer Holladay, the parent who originally complained about the menu, e-mailed KMGH a statement that said: “I’m confident we’ll see stereotype-free menus in the future.”

Howard said the incident is an opportunity for the school system to become more involved in the annual Marade. Howard said the Denver Public School district has shown low interest in the festivities in past years and it’s time for them to get involved.

The Houston School District has offered fried chicken and collard greens on Martin Luther King’s birthday for years. Last year, in response to questions, they issued the following statement:

“The Food Service Department often runs a promotion in celebration of his birthday. The promotion includes posters and public-address announcements promoting the special meal served in the cafeterias, as well as his message of remembering to celebrate with the spirit of giving back to the community … ‘a day on, not a day off.’ A menu committee researches all promotions and has utilized the MLK Center of Atlanta as a resource for information about this famous leader. Elaine Hall, from the Archives Department at the King Center in Atlanta, has informed the committee that Dr. King’s favorite meal includes fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread and sweet potato pie.”