In her posting, Rider wrote “This decor is WRONG on SO many levels, There is nothing decorative about raw cotton… A commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves. A little sensitivity goes a long way. PLEASE REMOVE THIS “decor.” It is actually fake cotton sticks that sell for $6.99 to $15.99 online and up to $29.99 in stores as a way to “Offer your space a touch of natural beauty with Cotton Bouquet.” The store promises that such displays offer “a stunning, long-lasting centerpiece without the pesky water!”
Perhaps but they can come with a microaggression complaint. President Randy Lowry discovered that danger after he held the event at his home. Lowry was sent an apology letter to black students after the controversy was triggered by a posting from one of his guests about the centerpiece and cuisine. Instagram user nakaylayvonne wrote “As we arrived to the president’s home and proceeded to go in we seen cotton as the center pieces,” she wrote. “We were very offended, and also the meals that were provided resembled many ‘black meals’ they had mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread etc. The night before Latinos also had dinner at his house and they had tacos. They also DIDN’T have the center piece that we HAD tonight.”
As we have discussed, microaggressions are defined as “brief and commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or not, that communicate a hostile, derogatory, or negative slight or insult toward a targeted group.”
Lowry apologized: “Several students shared with me their concern about the material used for centerpieces which contained stalks of cotton. The content of the centerpieces was offensive, and I could have handled the situation with more sensitivity. I sincerely apologize for the discomfort, anger or disappointment we caused and solicit your forgiveness.”
He also addressed the criticism over his response: “He kind of thought it was ‘fallish,’ THEN he said ‘it ISNT INHERENTLY BAD IF WERE ALL WEARING IT’ then walked off.” Lowry admitted that he was “probably not as artful as I should have been” in his response, “but I was trying to meet everybody and get on with the show.”
He further explained:
“I wrote in my apology that I did the next day how I understand that cotton represents something to some of the African American community that takes us back to the deplorable times of slavery. So I understand that student and am extraordinarily sorry to have anything on the table that would have been offensive. It was extraordinarily innocent, but I understand fully and I have tried to apologize fully for any offense that might have caused any of our students.”
The question is whether any use of cotton decor truly “takes us back to the deplorable times of slavery.” Cotton is a ubiquitous fiber in our society and this decor style is fairly common in pictures and displays. Lowry suggests that it is inappropriate to show cotton in a display at a dinner with African Americans.
However, there is the question of why the cotton suddenly appeared for the dinner with black students while tacos were served to hispanic students. There was no response to that concern from the university. I think that there should be an explanation on that concern. I do not agree that it is inappropriate to sell or display cotton, but the university should address whether it intentionally changed the decor and cuisine in this fashion.
