University president apologises after table at dinner for black students laid with cotton stalks and collard greens
A university president has apologised after putting on a welcome dinner for African American students featuring cotton stalk decorations and “black meals”.
The president of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, invited African American students to his home last week, serving what one student called “black meals” – “mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread” – and using cotton stalks as a table centrepiece.
In a statement posted by Lipscomb University on Facebook, its president Randy Lowry wrote: “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,” he added.