I understand how the stereotypes being evoked here are problematic.
What should they have served instead for a Black History lunch? Or is the whole idea inherently problematic?
A lot of the ugly history of the watermelon stereotype and imagery has already been posted, not sure if this has too:
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/may08/
"As we talked, I told the group how my own life had been poisoned by the stereotype. Just a few days earlier, I told them, I'd found myself in a familiar internal debate over whether to take a slice of watermelon from a luncheon fruit tray. In the pause before my fork stabbed a couple of slices, I worried anew that white people looking on would follow the crooked path of bigoted logic that says if one stereotype is validated, all the others must be true."2
Most Americans would probably be surprised to learn that African Americans are underrepresented as watermelon eaters. Blacks represent about 13 percent of the United States population yet only account for 11 percent of the watermelon consumption.
This shows a situation where someone who likes watermelon nevertheless was hurt by the stereotype, an example of why "but it's good food!" misses the point.
The combination of menu items shows that lazy, stereotypical ideas were the extent of their thought process. They didn't bother to educate themselves or ask advice. When they did ask, "Libby talked to members of the Black Student Union on campus and the students suggested that the watermelon be taken off the menu."
My basic take is that, if you are going to be lazy, stereotypical, reductionist, and not ask advice, then don't call it a "celebration lunch for Black History Month." Doing so is insulting. "Here, all you need to know about BHM is the stereotypes we know."
Even without the watermelon, I think simply having fried chicken would be similar. It would just turn out that that stereotype was less offensive to many people so they would have been luckier. Brings to mind Fuzzy Zoeller and Sergio Garcia's remarks, where I suspect the reaction would have been more heated if they used "watermelon" instead, even though the mind set would be the same.
The first advice I would have given them is:
1. Think about why you are including items.
Tacos were invented in Mexico. Modern pizza was invented in Italy. Were modern fried chicken, cornbread, and watermelon invented by African Americans? Are you including them for that reason, or a different reason, and if so what other reason?
If they thought about it, I can't believe they would include watermelon. They might still have included fried chicken, but most likely along with other items so that it wouldn't appear they just chose the first stereotypes that popped into their head. By that point, they would already have been thinking about where these foods came from, and why they were associated with African Americans.
2. Ask when you don't know something.
We're all ignorant of many things. We don't all think "eh, watermelons are associated with African Americans in my mind, not sure how that started, but let's use it for the Black History Month celebration." That's a good time to ask somebody.
