Denver: Menu for MLK Birthday Hard for Some to Digest

Let the whining begin.

Denver Public Schools apologized Tuesdayfor what it called a “well-intentioned but highly insensitive” attemptto honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Friday’s DPS lunch menu, headlined “In Honor Of M.L. King,” offeredstudents “Southern Style” chicken and collard greens — a meal that somesay is an offensive caricature of black culture.

In a statement issued Tuesday night and posted on the schooldistrict’s website, DPS spokesman Michael Vaughn said the meal was”highly insensitive in light of certain hurtful cultural stereotypesstill harbored in parts of our society.”

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the greatest leaders and civilrights heroes in our country’s history,” Vaughn said. “We are workingwith all of our schools to ensure that our students appreciate theenduring legacy of Dr. King’s work and life and the extraordinaryimportance of his message in our community today.”

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2010-01-15