After the Indianapolis Children’s Museum began selling a Juneteenth Watermelon Salad, it has come under fire. The children’s museum is being criticized for creating a racially insensitive salad that is damaging the reputation of the “world’s largest children’s museum.” Visitors were taken aback to discover a racially offensive menu item for sale at the café of the children’s museum, which costs people $10 for lunch.
On Twitter, Jackson Moon, aka Jackson Adams, shared an image of the dish along with a caption that read: “Racially insensitive salads. NOBODY BLACK ASKED FOR THIS!”
The salad in question was created by the children’s museum without research or approval from higher-ups, something that other people agreed was a big mistake.
“This is horrible and racist,” one person tweeted.
Another stated: “This is what happens when a holiday is made federal.”
The racist stereotype surrounding watermelons was fabricated by Southern whites post-emancipation. At the time, Blacks were selling watermelons successfully, and this made some white people jealous. So, to keep up appearances and make it seem like Black people were the only ones eating watermelon, these whites spread false information about the fruit.
The Southern whites were able to successfully embed the racist stereotype in American society. Many people continue to propagate this bigoted image today.
The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has issued an apology for the racist salad, and it will no longer distribute the product to customers, as a result of Twitter outrage over the appearance.
“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. “Red foods have historically been served by some to remember the blood that was shed along the way to freedom.”
The Children’s Museum provided the following statement about the salad: “There should have been a label explaining the history and meaning behind this menu item, and it should not have been on the shelf before that label was ready. We understand how this appears with no context, and we apologize. We are pulling it from our food court immediately until the sign is ready to accompany it.”
The statement added, “There’s a lot of research that goes into the food choices we make for special events. Watermelon, along with other red foods, is a staple of Juneteenth Celebrations, including our food court manager’s family Juneteenth celebrations.”
Nonetheless, social media users are dissatisfied. Moon said, “It doesn’t have to be watermelon or kool-aid. Our food history is radical. Our food history is rich. Our food history connects us to Africa. As the holiday is now recognized and companies are quick to jump on the bandwagon with offensive ice creams and decorations, we must learn to safeguard our history and culture before it becomes twisted and unrecognizable.”
Annually, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum sees 1.3 million guests walk through its doors.
