Why fried chicken racist

It all feeds into that same shame. During a recent podcast recording, I was asked what my final supper would be. The US comedian Dave Chappelle got it. In one sketch , he mimics white people watching him as he eats some chicken. But enough is enough. The time has come to start undoing the negative associations and start giving fried chicken its dues.

I look to the US chef Edna Lewis for inspiration. In her seminal cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, Lewis, who died in , spoke affectionately of the fried chicken of her childhood.

She grew up in Freetown, Virginia, a town founded by freed slaves who included her grandfather. Frying chickens were produced only once a year in late spring through to early summer.

Imagine, fried chicken so special it was a seasonal dish. I should be proud that this food of my heritage has taken over the world. Yes, its most famous purveyor may be a white, bespectacled moustachioed colonel, but fried chicken is firmly rooted in black innovation and creativity. It should be a source of pride for the African diaspora.

Fried chicken: I love you. I've always loved fried chicken. But the racism surrounding it shamed me. It should be a source of pride for black people. And so it came to pass. Because I was ashamed. Topics Chicken Food Race features. Community Connect. People Making a Difference. Points of Progress. A Christian Science Perspective. Monitor Movie Guide. Monitor Daily. Photo Galleries. About Us. Get stories that empower and uplift daily. See our other FREE newsletters. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Select free newsletters: The Weekender. Today's Highlights. Christian Science Perspective. November 4, By Husna Haq Correspondent. Martin: Just checking! You've read of free articles. Subscribe to continue. Mark Sappenfield. Our work isn't possible without your support. Digital subscription includes: Unlimited access to CSMonitor. The Monitor Daily email. No advertising. Cancel anytime. Decoder Senator Michelle Obama? Is the first lady eyeing a Senate seat? Niggers are attracted to bright colors and large amounts of sugar, not unlike their cousins who swing from trees.

Niggers get obsessed by trivial pleasures like watermelon, fried chicken and bling because it stimulates a vesitigal [sic] part of their primitive jungle brains. Exhibit C— This owner's manual , via a White Power website:. Experienced nigger owners sometimes push watermelon slices through the bars of the nigger cage at the end of the day as a treat, but only if all niggers have worked well and nothing has been stolen that day. So, no, a slice of watermelon isn't racist in and of itself.

But when people talk about black people loving watermelon, they're talking about a lot more than food. They're talking about a stereotype with a lot of racist history—history still embraced by some of the worst people on the internet. History is important—any Black History Month celebration that ignores the experiences and portrayals of black people in this country is shallow at best.

If you want to acknowledge black history this month, learn it. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. Popular Latest. The Atlantic Crossword. Sign In Subscribe. This article is from the archive of our partner.