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This section of the Authentic History
Center's "Teaching Diversity With Multimedia"
collection focuses on stereotypes of people of African
descent from the end of the American Civil War in
images of blacks with thems of chicken and watermelon.
Analysis of a large collection of artifacts with racist
African American imagery reveals several common themes.
One is the linking of Black people in a negative way
to chicken and watermelon. The origins of these stereotypes
are unclear. They may have begun as Southern stereotypes
and then evolved into Black stereotypes. It's also
possible that these evolved out of American slavery.
Numerous primary sources chroncle Black resistance
to slavery through "silent sabotage," or,
day-to-day acts of resistance. Stealing from the master
was one example. It seems logical that, given that
food would be among the most desirable of items a
slave would pilfer, and chickens and watermelons would
have been commonly available. Solomon Northup, for
example, tells of being put in charge of punishing
slaves who got into the master's watermelon patch.
Rather than carry out the punishment, Northup had
the slaves show him the way to the patch. The connecting
of Blacks to chicken and watermelon was done in a
way to dehumanize Blacks and subject them to ridicule.
This process helped contribute to prejudice and discrimination.
Surprisingly, many young people are unaware of the
long history of these stereotypes, while some older
Black people refuse to eat watermelon because of that
history. And yet the stereotype still exists. In 1989,
while stationed at a Marine Air Station in Yuma, Arizona,
I was standing in line at the chow hall and noticed
a particular theme in the day's cuisine. The main
offerings that day were fried chicken, black-eyed
peas, and watermelon. I soon realized, to my horror,
that it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I do
not know if this gesture was intended as a racist
joke, or if the head cook really thought that offering
such food was a way of honoring Dr. King.
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