Students at Brigham Young University are not happy with the school’s Center for Economic Self-Reliance. The center posted a photo to Instagram advertising a Taco Tuesday event that showed two students wearing sombreros and dressed as tacos, holding flags from Bolivia, the United States, and Argentina.
Several students quickly condemned the center for cultural appropriation. One Twitter user took the center to task. Others said tacos are not traditional foods in Bolivia and Argentina.
oh absolutely not, @BallardCenter. They don’t eat tacos in Argentina or Bolivia. Hispanic/Latino cultures aren’t interchangeable. Y’all should know better than to be this insensitive and dumb. pic.twitter.com/j7nzZHMa0s
— olivia✨ (@livvidiaz) January 8, 2019
The photo has since been deleted and the Ballard Center posted an apology, stating: “earlier today, the Ballard Center shared a social media post that was insensitive. We are very sorry and regret creating the post. Thank you to all who have taken the time to reach out. Your comments highlight the compassion you have for others. We appreciate your insights, feedback, and the learning opportunity.”
This is not the first time students have shamed their universities for cultural appropriation.
A sorority at California State University, Fullerton, was banned from recruitment and sentenced to a year of probation for hosting a Taco Tuesday event where students wore “culturally insensitive attire” such as sombreros.
Similarly, the dining hall at Clemson University issued an apology when students became offended over a several-year-long tradition of “Maximum Mexican” food day.
Most recently, a restaurant near Clemson also apologized after advertising a “Tijuana Chicken Sandwich” that was advertised with puns evoking the migrant caravan.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
