The Indianapolis Children’s Museum, also known as the “world’s largest children’s museum,” is being called out for racial insensitivity for having served “Juniteenth Watermelon Salad” on its menu ahead of the national holiday.
Visitors were outraged when they noticed Juneteenth’s $10 watermelon salad – which many described as “racially insensitive”.
Jackson Moon, aka Jackson Adams, shared a picture of the salad on Twitter with the caption, “Racially Insensitive Salads. THAT’S WHY NO ONE ASKED BLACK!’
“This is horrible and racist,” another person tweeted.
Another said: “This is what happens when a holiday is declared a federal holiday.”
The Indianapolis Children’s Museum, also known as the “world’s largest children’s museum,” is called out for serving Juneteenth Watermelon Salad due to racial insensitivity.
Jackson Moon didn’t hold back as she wrote on her social media on Friday exactly how she felt when she saw the museum’s cafeteria offering “Juniteenth Watermelon Salad” on their menu
The racist image of blacks liking watermelons dates back to the post-Civil War emancipation era, when Southern whites tried to give the popular fruit negative connotations because free blacks grew and sold it.
The trope exploded in American culture and sadly permeates to this day.
The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has since apologized and said it is withdrawing the product.
“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,” a spokesman said.
They said they had a menu planned for June 16 “to raise awareness of the importance of the holiday and to remind them of their own family traditions.”
On Friday, the Children’s Museum responded to Jonelle Slaughter, explaining the menu selection process and the research behind it. They also apologized to her, but mentioned that once the salad is properly labeled with the meaning of the day, it will be placed back on the food court’s shelves
The massive museum, which is located in northwest Indianapolis and covers 500,000 square feet and is a major tourist attraction with more than 1.3 million visitors annually, defended its menu choice choice and later apologized
“Red foods have historically been served by some to commemorate the blood shed on the road to freedom,” the spokesman said.
The $10 salad, listed in the museum’s cafeteria, includes a mix of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprinkled feta cheese, and watermelon chunks.
It’s unclear if the food service partner is a black-owned business.
Also known as Emancipation Day, June 19 commemorates the end of slavery for all Americans. It was created in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the USA, in the rebel state of Texas, were informed about the declaration of emancipation.
Moon wrote in her social media post, “It doesn’t have to be watermelon or kool-aid. Our nutritional history is radical. Our nutritional history is rich. Our food history connects us to Africa.”
She continued, “With the holiday now recognized and businesses quick to jump on the bandwagon with offensive ice creams and decorations, we must learn to protect our history and culture before it becomes twisted and unrecognizable.”
On Friday, Moon wrote that “the museum deleted my comment suggesting removing the lettuce, but our people would not budge, and eventually that was their response.”
Moon referenced the response given to Jonelle Slaughter, another visitor to the museum, who also posted a photo of the lettuce in a Facebook comment under a museum post promoting the Juneteenth Jamboree, FOX59 News reports. i.e
“So you all decided, ‘Hey, let’s celebrate by perpetuating offensive stereotypes,'” Slaughter wrote. “You all really thought that was a good idea?”
On Friday, the museum issued a statement on Jonelle Slaughter’s response.
“Jonelle Slaughter Thank you for bringing this to our attention. There should have been a label explaining the history and meaning behind that menu item and it shouldn’t have been on the shelf until that label was complete. We understand how this seems out of context and we apologize. We’re pulling it out of our food court immediately until the sign is ready to accompany it.’
“There’s a lot of research that goes into the food choices we make for special occasions. Watermelons, along with other red foods, are a staple of June 16 celebrations, including our food court manager’s family June 16 celebrations.’
The massive museum in northwest Indianapolis covers 500,000 square feet and is a major tourist attraction, with more than 1.3 million visitors a year.
People march to commemorate Freedom Day, March 16, 2020