School

<p>New York University has come under fire after advertising a dining hall menu in honor of Black History Month that some perceive as racist.</p><p>NYU&#39;s Weinstein Passport Dining Hall planned on serving barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, as well as two beverages: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water.</p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="" data-attribution="giphy" data-attribution-url="" height="228" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/giphy-pBoLmv.gif" width="320" /></div><div class="image-attribution">giphy</div></figure><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>When sophomore<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2330460070313451&amp;id=100000484411788"> Nia Harris</a> caught wind of the offending menu, she confronted Weinstein&#39;s head cook, who initially dismissed her objections because &quot;the employees who planned the menu were black.&quot;</p><p>Harris then sent this email she sent to the University&#39;s dining services as well as the deans of the school:</p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="" data-attribution="Nia Harris Facebook" data-attribution-url="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2330460070313451&amp;id=100000484411788" height="337" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/2823865023307103236217598995365746923542930o-vDeZg4.jpg" width="700" /></div><div class="image-attribution"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2330460070313451&amp;id=100000484411788">Nia Harris Facebook</a></div></figure><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>On February 20th, she posted a screenshot of the email accompanied with this personal message on her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2330460070313451&amp;id=100000484411788">Facebook page</a>. In it, she explains that she found the menu &quot;stereotypical,&quot; but decided &quot;not to make a big deal.&quot; Then she saw the beverage options.</p><blockquote> <p>This is what it&#39;s like to be a black student at <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=103256838688&amp;extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYU/?fref=mentions">New York University</a>. You go to a dining hall during February and you see &quot;Black History Month Meal&quot; plastered outside the entrance. You walk inside the dining hall only to find ribs, collard greens, and mac and cheese. You note that this is stereotypical, but you decide not to make a big deal. Then you see the beverages, Red Koolaid and watermelon water. You take a breath. You ask to speak with the person over this specific dining hall menu. After being bounced around from person to person you finally get a chance to meet with someone. Today this happened. Today I was lied to, placated, and ignored. In 2018 I literally had to explain why displaying watermelon and koolaid in celebration of Black History Month was not only racially insensitive but just ignorant. I&#39;ve wanted to go to NYU since I was 7th grade, and it breaks my heart that at this allegedly &quot;diverse&quot; and &quot;global&quot; institution, black students are faced with issues like this one. Attached below is the email I sent to dining services today as well as the Deans of the University. However, I don&#39;t want it to stop there. Please share, repost, comment, or whatever. TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES. These institutions want black students for diversity statistics, but cannot handle when students speak out. It&#39;s time for action.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>According to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/">this 2014 article</a> by William R. Black, watermelon has been a<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/"> racist trope</a> has been around since the Civil War, and the fruit is used as a &quot;symbol of black people&rsquo;s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence.&quot;</p><p>The Kool-Aid trope is obviously more modern, but<a href="https://medium.com/@suzanejardim/reconhecendo-esteri%C3%B3tipos-racistas-internacionais-b00f80861fc9"> just as harmful</a>.</p><p>NYU President Andrew Hamilton<a href="https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2018/february/-statement-by-nyu-president-andrew-hamilton.html"> released a statement</a> addressing the controversy, calling the menu &quot; inexcusably insensitive.&quot; In the statement, Hamilton clarifies that the menu was created by the university&#39;s food provider, Aramark, and was posted with no input from N.Y.U. officials.</p><p>He also announced that Aramark has suspended the director of Weinstein dining.</p><p>Victoria Pasquale, Regional Vice President of Aramark, also <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2018/february/-statement-by-nyu-president-andrew-hamilton.html">offered an apology</a> on behalf of the company:</p><blockquote> <p><i>We apologize for an inexcusable menu mistake that occurred at Downstein. We are extremely disappointed by the insensitive and offensive actions taken by one of our employees who did not follow policy and processes. The individual acted independently in a way that runs counter to our values and compromised our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. We have suspended the employee pending a full investigation. We are also re-training all employees to ensure a regrettable incident like this is not repeated. Again, we apologize for the mistake and commit to do better in the future.</i></p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div>

NYU slammed for racist Black History Month menu.

April Lavalle

New York University has come under fire after advertising a dining hall menu in honor of Black History Month that some perceive as racist.NYU&#39;s Weinstein Passport Dining Hall planned on serving barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, as well as two beverages: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water.giphyWhen sophomore Nia Harris caught wind of the offending menu, she confronted Weinstein&#39;s head cook, who initially dismissed her objections because &quot;the employees who planned the menu were black.&quot;Harris then sent this email she sent to the University&#39;s dining services as well as the deans of the school:Nia Harris FacebookOn February 20th, she posted a screenshot of the email accompanied with this personal message on her Facebook page. In it, she explains that she found the menu &quot;stereotypical,&quot; but decided &quot;not to make a big deal.&quot; Then she saw the beverage options. This is what it&#39;s like to be a black student at New York University. You go to a dining hall during February and you see &quot;Black History Month Meal&quot; plastered outside the entrance. You walk inside the dining hall only to find ribs, collard greens, and mac and cheese. You note that this is stereotypical, but you decide not to make a big deal. Then you see the beverages, Red Koolaid and watermelon water. You take a breath. You ask to speak with the person over this specific dining hall menu. After being bounced around from person to person you finally get a chance to meet with someone. Today this happened. Today I was lied to, placated, and ignored. In 2018 I literally had to explain why displaying watermelon and koolaid in celebration of Black History Month was not only racially insensitive but just ignorant. I&#39;ve wanted to go to NYU since I was 7th grade, and it breaks my heart that at this allegedly &quot;diverse&quot; and &quot;global&quot; institution, black students are faced with issues like this one. Attached below is the email I sent to dining services today as well as the Deans of the University. However, I don&#39;t want it to stop there. Please share, repost, comment, or whatever. TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES. These institutions want black students for diversity statistics, but cannot handle when students speak out. It&#39;s time for action. According to this 2014 article by William R. Black, watermelon has been a racist trope has been around since the Civil War, and the fruit is used as a &quot;symbol of black people&rsquo;s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence.&quot;The Kool-Aid trope is obviously more modern, but just as harmful.NYU President Andrew Hamilton released a statement addressing the controversy, calling the menu &quot; inexcusably insensitive.&quot; In the statement, Hamilton clarifies that the menu was created by the university&#39;s food provider, Aramark, and was posted with no input from N.Y.U. officials.He also announced that Aramark has suspended the director of Weinstein dining.Victoria Pasquale, Regional Vice President of Aramark, also offered an apology on behalf of the company: We apologize for an inexcusable menu mistake that occurred at Downstein. We are extremely disappointed by the insensitive and offensive actions taken by one of our employees who did not follow policy and processes. The individual acted independently in a way that runs counter to our values and compromised our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. We have suspended the employee pending a full investigation. We are also re-training all employees to ensure a regrettable incident like this is not repeated. Again, we apologize for the mistake and commit to do better in the future. 

New York University has come under fire after advertising a dining hall menu in honor of Black History Month that some perceive as racist.  NYU&#39;s Weinstein Passport Dining Hall planned on serving barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard...