Racial issues emerge as owners of a Hispanic restaurant plan to host 'White Appreciation Day'

Rubbin Buttz BBQ in Colorado will host 'White Appreciation Day' on June 11.

It all started as a joke. But now, two Hispanic owners of a barbecue joint in Milliken, Colorado claim that they want to host a "White Appreciation Day" next month, and it is now written on their calendar.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Owners, Edgar Antillon and Miguel Jimenez, recently purchased Rubbin Buttz BBQ on Broad Street. "White Appreciation Day" will be held on June 11. As hosts, they plan to offer a 10 percent discount to all white customers, excluding everybody else.

Explaining why, Edgar Antillon said, "We have a whole month for Black History Month," and "We have a whole month for Hispanic heritage month, so we thought the least we could do was offer one day to appreciate white Americans."

Inevitably, an issue concerning racist politics emerged, as there is a very long history of racism in the United States. According to Ricardo Romero, civil rights activist and community organizer in Weld County, what the owners of the barbecue joint plans to accomplish is the perpetuation of racism.

He explained that, "It's wrong; if you're going to give a discount, give it to the whole community."

According to Jennifer McPherson of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, there could be legal consequences invoked as well. "If someone felt like they were being discriminated against, they could come to the civil rights division and file a complaint in our office and we would investigate that," she said.

Antillon and Jimenez understand the issue of racism and expect to receive some strong public reaction against their idea. But in their defense, what they plan to do, and the discount they plan to offer, does not plan to discriminate against anyone. In fact, it is their goal to bring people together.

Antillon shared that he identifies with the experiences of those who have been the target of racism in the past. Additionally, the barbecue joint owner also hopes to raise the discourse and prompt others to think differently about the meaning of race.

"We're all American, whether you came from a different country or you were born here," Antillon said. "We're all American."

It is unlikely that the owners of the restaurant will offer a discount to members of a different race, but they claim to look upon it.

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