Michigan School Apologizes for ‘Black History Month’ Lunch
A Michigan school system is apologizing for a school lunch that was supposed to honor Black History Month. The idea didn’t go over well with students and parents.
According to Woodtv.com, Grand Rapids Christian Schools had a lunch menu posted online for its “Black History Month” lunch, offering fried chicken, collared greens, mac and cheese, cornbread and banana pudding. As Woodtv.com reports, students complained to school administrators and said it was racist, so the school started calling the meal a “Soul Food” lunch.
Superintendent Tom DeJonge apologized in a letter sent out to parents, according to Woodtv.com, and stated that the school wants to celebrate a variety of cultures, so it was attempting to serve “an authentic Soul Food lunch” with all the right intentions.
“Although the tradition was recently paused during the pandemic due to food service regulations, over the recent years, Grand Rapids Christian High School has partnered with a variety of community members to serve an authentic Soul Food lunch,” DeJonge said. “In an effort to continue this tradition of celebration, our food service department reached out to an executive chef, Xaviar Jamarillo, as a partner for this year’s celebration.”
“(We) recognize that the initial publication of the meal had a negative impact on our community, and for this we are sorry,” DeJonge continued in this letter. “As a staff, we humbly commit to continuing to learn and grow in this area as we seek to produce culturally competent students who are prepared for lives of service to Christ. We are committed to continuing to meet with and listen to our staff and students as we seek to build and further strengthen an environment that is welcoming to all.” For more information on this story, go here.
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