OPINION: Why can’t the GOP find someone who is widely embraced by Black America when they want someone to represent conservative values?
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Thirty years ago, a newspaper published an attack on my character that haunts me to this day. Although it started as an innocent misunderstanding, it has blossomed into a cruel joke that my college friends continue to perpetuate. For nearly three decades, I have battled this disgusting lie but now it is time for me to clear up this misconception.
I like fried chicken.
Watermelon is delicious.
It all began during my senior year in college after Black students confronted the administration about the school’s lack of inclusion. To prove its commitment to cultural diversity, Auburn University Food Services rolled out its Black History Month menu — a selection of handpicked negro cuisine featuring ham hocks, collard greens and, yes, fried chicken every day.
“When I first saw this menu, I, as well as other students, thought it was a cruel joke,” I wrote in the school newspaper. “This menu offers every stereotypical ‘nigger dish’ except watermelon. Maybe the director of Food Services thought we would beat the doors down to get to some ham hocks and fried chicken, but here’s a news flash: Black people actually eat the same food as you do!”
As someone who was born and raised in South Carolina, I have a documented history championing deep-fried fowl. But since then, “Mike hates fried chicken” has been a running joke among my college friends. In fairness to those who turned this vicious rumor into an inside joke, my use of the n-word may have contributed to the misconception that I have a grudge against deep-fried fowl. While nothing could be further from the truth, I blame the person who chose this headline:
Contrary to what the headline…
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