‘Maybe it’s a dietary thing,’ director says of white children being fed before Black children

“They were skipping all of the Black kids it seemed like,” Adryan McCauley told CBS News. “All the white kids got their lunch, and all the Black kids had to wait,” McCauley continued. “From the videos and pictures that we saw today, we are just completely disturbed.” 

McCauley and his wife took a screenshot of what they saw and went to confront the staff to which a director allegedly told them “‘I’m not really sure because I’m not in the classroom, maybe it’s a dietary thing,’” McCauley said.

That explanation clearly was not enough or made any sense. The family then shared the story and screenshot on their social media accounts. Their post prompted immediate backlash with individuals questioning what the day care’s intention was and other parents pointing out their children in the image. As a result, Kids ‘R’ Kids President and CEO David Vinson issued a statement with a non-apology noting that the entirety of the video cannot be seen. Vinson also shared that the company would sever ties with the Roswell branch, however, did not explain why and what happened in the incident. “Perception is unfortunately reality, and with the cancel culture, unfortunately, it’s the perception,” Vinson said.

So essentially, the Kids ‘R’ Kids CEO pointed to blaming “cancel culture” as the reason why they severed ties with the day care and argued in a sense that the full reality could not be known because only a part of the video was shared. But if the issue is the video not being seen completely, why did the company not share the full footage or explain what happened in the incident to counter claims that racism was being practiced? 

It seems shady that the question of why Black children were allegedly being served last is being ignored and focus is being put on the screenshot shared. In a statement to CBS News, the day care said the following: “We know the act was random, and the photo doesn’t show the entire room; we believe if the parents viewed the videos they would understand. I wish they could see the compassion we have.”

After people questioned what the actual footage depicted, Kids ‘R’ Kids finally apologized to the family and issued a statement in which it said it would use the incident as a training tool. Vinson added that the incident was “disturbing” and further review caused the company to terminate the franchise’s contract with the building. The company also vowed to “assist any displaced families with locating preschool options in their respective area.”

Prior to public outrage, it seems the company did not think it needed to fully address the concerns of the parents. This incident sheds light on the ongoing injustices Black folk silently face across the U.S. The full video has still not been released and an explanation as to why or what was happening is also missing. Either way, what happened is not okay and is not only an incident of racism but child abuse. Food should not be used as a tool of power and control, especially toward children. Day cares should be focused on the growth of all children not perpetuating racist ideologies. Had the McCauley family not seen the footage, who knows how long this abuse would’ve continued. America must do better to address its racist ideology.