From the 1890s through 1960s, many black Americans packed lunches in shoeboxes for any kind of travel, as Jim Crow laws and other racism often meant they could not rely on being served at restaurants.
The lunches they packed turned the hateful inconvenience into a comforting reminder of home, and countered discrimination with self-reliance that boosted the connection to family and community. All faculty, staff and students can join the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Bon Appétit Management Co. to better understand the context of these lunches by purchasing a shoebox lunch today (Feb. 27) from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Tomlinson Marketplace and at Pinzas in Tinkham Veale University Center.