For years, New York City has struggled with creating a more integrated school system. The segregation that exists within our public school system can be attributed to various housing and school admission policies that perpetuate the lack of integration and diversity in our public school system (EdTrust NY). These polices mean that many black and brown students are being denied access to schools and neighborhoods that would allow them to have more equal learning opportunities like their white peers (Standford.edu). There have been new integration policies that aim to close the gaps in the segregation that exists within the NYC public school system, but what we’re suggesting is that it might not be enough to admit more students from socio-economically challenged backgrounds (WT Grant Foundation). There is the issue of cultural diversity and acceptance, by parents and students, once these schools become more integrated. What happens once these students are admitted to places where they might be the minority? How do we foster community to make the students feel more welcome?
We propose that the school’s meal program feature a different bread each month. The bread should be chosen based on the school’s demographic, with two factors in mind. Firstly, a bread should be selected that gives ethnicities underrepresented in the student body a sense of belonging by reflecting their heritage. Secondly, a bread should be chosen that would expose the student body to cultural diversity, to cultures that are not represented in the student body at all. When the bread is given out, we recommend posting a sign near the lunch line that provides a brief history of the bread and its ethnic origin.
We understand that instituting our program could be difficult on finances. We recommend starting with breads that are easier to access, such as (c)hallah bread or tortillas, and then, given the success of the program, the program can be expanded to breads that may be harder to access, such as pansedal or hard dough bread. By providing cultural foods in a school lunch program, the school is helping to dispel the notion that cultural foods are considered “cheap,” with its implications of inferior quality. The classification of cheap foods is subjective, but exposure to cultural foods other than your own is a great way to avoid labelling unfamiliar foods as “cheap.”
To assess the impact of the proposal quantitatively, we recommend sending out a survey before instituting our program and again after, with statements for which students would rate 1-5 on how much they agree or disagree. Before the program, the statements would include: satisfaction with the meals provided and a feeling of belonging. After the program, additional statements would be added: the palette and mindset of other cultures have expanded, and the sense of connection to peers through bread.
Research has shown that starting introductions into cultural diversity early, during childhood and adolescence, is what helps foster well-rounded personal development (WHO, 2022). Not only does creating greater multicultural awareness and inclusion help students with different backgrounds and needs succeed, but it also encourages acceptance and helps prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world (Drexel University School of Education, 2025). By instituting a program where different cultural breads are introduced into school lunches, schools can offer a simple but meaningful opportunity for students to experience and appreciate cultural diversity tangibly and deliciously. This program also offers a meaningful intervention around how students perceive “foreign” cuisine. Foods labeled “exotic” often feel distant or foreign simply because they are unfamiliar. However, early exposure can reduce the sense of othering that often surrounds foods from non-Western cultures
