Arkansas Juneteenth Soul Food Event Cancelled After Featured Hosts Were All White People

Source: Twitter / Twitter

First, let’s just acknowledge the fact that Black people were pretty much split in our reactions to Juneteenth becoming an official federal holiday last year. While many of us were excited that this thing that had been part of the culture for decades had finally been recognized nationally for the first time, there were those of us who were immediately reminded of what happens to culturally Black things once they’re Columbused by the white majority—those culturally Black things get swept up swiftly into the “it’s all of our culture now, we’ll just keep it at my house” world of whiteness. (See Black slang, Black vernacular, Tik Tok dances, virtually every popular American music genre and, currently, the word “woke.”)

That second set of Black people knew what happened in Arkansas was coming.

According to Raw Story, a Juneteenth soul food festival in Arkansas was canceled shortly after it was advertised, which is understandable seeing that the event’s featured hosts were all white.

Before you ask: Yes, I imagine this event was going to come with a raisin-rich would food menu. No, I don’t imagine much spice variety (or existence, for that matter) on said menu. Yes, this also reminds me of that one episode of Atlanta.

From Raw Story:

The June 17 event, which had been scheduled to take place at the Little Rock War Memorial Stadium, promised “3 floors of food from some of Arkansas’ top restaurants and caterers.” It also advertised three featured hosts: Rex Nelson, the senior editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Heather Baker, the president and publisher of AY Media Group; and David Bazzel, an Arkansas radio and TV personality. All three individuals are white.

Like—what are y’all even doing?

You can tell that the organizers are among the swaths of white people who are newly discovering the existence of the holiday and are oblivious to the culture and traditions surrounding it. Because if that weren’t the case, these people would have understood the very optics of a Juneteenth soul food festival with nothing but white faces in charge was going to get dragged mercilessly up and down the negro-net.

I just want to know what Caucasian was responsible for this because I just know nobody Black would be so reckless.

I just know.

Wait…wait, don’t tell me. Don’t even say it. Nah, it couldn’t be.

*heavy negro spiritual sigh*

More from Raw Story:

As the Arkansas Times reported on Tuesday afternoon, the poster shared on social media was a proof that had somehow been leaked. Regardless, event organizer Muskie Harris, a Black former Razorback football player and former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, announced that he was pulling the plug on the event, which was supposed to have a theme of “unity.”

Color me (pun absolutely intended) shocked that the Black man responsible for this gentri-fried soul food event is a Republican.

“I got a rope around my neck, and I’m tarred and feathered over an event that’s already dead,” Harris told the Times. “It just got perceived in the wrong way, and my sponsors said to leave it alone. It’s dead. It’s dried up.”

Harris is likely disappointed that things didn’t turn ou…

Wait, I’m sorry but—DID THIS NEGRO JUST EXPLAIN HIS EVENT CANCELATION BY SAYING, “I GOT A ROPE AROUND MY NECK”???

Bruh, there’s lost and then there’s lost and then there’s this tragic brotha here.