Black people must never be served fried chicken

This is just ridiculous. I love fried chicken...well, as long as its Kentucky Fried Chicken, of course. Lots of people do. But apparently since there's a cliche that blacks like fried chicken and collard greens to the exclusion of all else, this food must never be served to them.

THat's apparently what Ricardo Sparks thinks, and instead of telling him to get a grip, Thomas Parham, the vice chancellor of student affairs, is saying, [words mine, meaning his!] "Yes, yes, it's so horrible and racist to try to serve blacks fried chicken on Martin Luther King day... we should have stuck with chicken ala king like we normally serve."

Pretty soon we won't be able to eat Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo, or Irish food on St. Paddy's Day, or Chinese Food on the day of the Chinese new year!

Rush

From the Los Angeles Times. Got that? From the Los Angeles Times, Nate Jackson, the Los Angeles Times: "A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday." Again, Nate Jackson writing in the Los Angeles Times.

"A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday. The meal was served at Pippin Commons on Jan. 17, the first day of UC Irvine's 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. symposium. The theme of the three-day campus event was 'Uniting Our Voice for Change.' Past speakers have included Julian Bond, the late Dick Gregory and the late Yolanda King, the civil rights leader's daughter. The menu and a sign in the dining hall reading 'MLK Holiday Special: Chicken and Waffles' were pulled together at the last minute by a chef and other cafeteria staff members, said UC Irvine spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. The culinary choices were made without any university oversight, Lawhon said.

"UC Irvine student Ricardo Sparks, the 20-year-old co-chairman of the university's Black Student Union, lodged a formal complaint with the administration. ... Thomas Parham, vice chancellor of student affairs, tried unsuccessfully to schedule a meeting with Sparks and another student who had filed a complaint, Lawhon said. Sparks said he had waited to respond until he rallied other students to attend to meeting. University officials said they are trying to set up a meeting with Sparks and other critics for next week. The chef has not been disciplined, Lawhon said, and it was unclear if any action would be taken in the future." Fried chicken and waffles, UC Irvine, story by Nate Jackson in the Los Angeles Times.