Black History Month Menu Of Fried Chicken Prompts Apology From School Superintendent

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, NJ — A high school in New Jersey is apologizing for a school lunch menu that served fried chicken in celebration of Black History Month.

Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Black History Month menu also included sweet potato casserole, sauteed spinach, macaroni and cheese and cornbread.

Superintendent Thomas A. Smith apologized to parents in the district, recognizing that the menu choice “reinforces racial stereotypes and is not consistent with our district mission and efforts to improve cultural competency among our students and staff," according to nj.com.

It wasn’t clear where the initial complaint about the menu originated.

The school district’s food vendor, Pomptonian, has apologized to the district for the menu.

“The director at this location never intended to do anything that would offend anyone and deeply regrets the decision and understands that it could have been taken out of context,” the director said, according to NJ 101.5.

Forty-eight of the school’s 1,249 students are African American, and nearly 82 percent of the student population is white, according to the reports.

“Soul food” traditionally refers to food traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans in the south, and was first prepared during the slavery era.

James Beard Award-winning novelist Adrian Miller once made a clear distinction between “Soul Food” and “Southern Food” by saying soul food is more flavorful and rich. Many dishes were becoming more vegan-based, he told nola.com during a 2014 interview.

Patch file photo