In a move that’s sure to disappoint enthusiastic lovers of watermelon across the state, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has decided to pull the delicious and juicy watermelon salad from its food court menu of fine foods.
The museum introduced the flavorful and scrumptious salad in honor of “Juneteenth,” a federal holiday in the United States that 60% of Americans know little to nothing about, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans.
The salad was dubbed “racist” by outraged self-designated champions of equality for its inclusion of ‘watermelon’ in its list of toppings. The backlash prompted the museum to apologize, yank the salad, and promise to “do better.”
“As a museum, we apologize and acknowledge the negative impact that stereotypes have on communities of color. The salad has been removed from the menu,” the museum said in an online statement. “As we work to create a culture of empowerment and inclusivity, we know there will be stumbles along the way … we resolve to do better, and continue bringing all voices forward in our work.”
Why Is Watermelon Racist?
Watermelon, which gained in popularity during the 1980s thanks to the extraordinary efforts of comedian Gallagher, historically symbolized black self-sufficiency.
“Free black people grew, ate, and sold watermelons, and in doing so made the fruit a symbol of their freedom,” notes William R. Black in his article, “How Watermelons Became Racist.”
Black: “Southern whites, threatened by blacks’ newfound freedom, responded by making the fruit a symbol of black people’s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence.”
Way to go, white people! Way to screw it up for the rest of us who’ve been desperate as all hell to sample this concoction of goodness!
Look at this salad:
Looks delicious, eh? Looks like the perfect, refreshing nutritional sustenance for all your museum-touring needs, doesn’t it? Well, too bad!
And by the way, Children’s Museum, you’re not off the hook either. What’s with getting our taste buds all horny for watermelon salad and then yanking it off the menu over a little controversy? Just relabel it “Watermelon Salad” instead of “Juneteenth Watermelon Salad.” Then we can all enjoy delicious watermelon without all this unpleasantness. Problem solved!
Here’s Hammer and Nigel with more:
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/is-it-racist-1
