The University of North Florida found itself in hot water last month after making an Instagram post for Black History Month that said red Kool-Aid was a popular drink in the black community.
The post was part of a series of trivia questions themed for Black History Month that the university’s student life office and Intercultural Center made on Instagram.
The university asked students, “What is a popular drink in the African American community?” and offered multiple choice answers of Pepsi, cranberry juice, Sierra Mist, and red Kool-Aid, the last denoted as the correct answer.
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After backlash from students, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which incorporates the Intercultural Center, first attempted to backtrack without apologizing. The center says its purpose is to “[recognize] the importance of equitable representation and inclusion for all students” and to support “the university’s mission by helping students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of varying cultural, racial and ethnic identities.”
“The purpose of the trivia poll shared during Black History Month was to engage students in recognizing diverse aspects of Black/African American culture,” the UNF Spinnaker reported the Office of Diversity and Inclusion said. “The questions were adopted from a pop culture trivia game. While some content may have been viewed as insensitive, we reaffirm our commitment in honoring cultural humility and cultural sensitivity.”
Not long after publishing the first statement, the university apologized for the trivia in a subsequent post and for “[perpetuating] racial stereotypes.”
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“We apologize,” the post said. “We acknowledge the Black History Month Trivia perpetuated racial stereotypes and caused racial trauma. Our subsequent statement failed to take accountability for the harm we caused. We messed up.”
