Latino-owned Colorado restaurant plans to hold 'White Appreciation Day'

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The Latino owners of a Colorado barbecue restaurant announced their plans to hold a “White Appreciation Day” in June, during which time they will offer a 10% discount to white customers.

“On June 11th, what we plan on doing is ‘White Appreciation Day.’ And basically on that day, all white people would get 10 percent off,” Edgar Antillon, owner of Rubbin’ Buttz BBQ, said.

Antillon said that the idea started out as a joke, but then he decided to run with it because, as he said in the sign he put up for the occasion, “all Americans should be celebrated.”

“We have a whole month for Black History Month. We have a whole month for Hispanic Heritage Month. So we figured the least we could do is offer one day to appreciate white Americans,” Antillon said.

Antillon has already seen backlash for his decision, with many pointing out the absurdity of his plan. “It’s wrong. If you’re going to give a discount, give it to the whole community,” said Ricardo Romero, a civil rights activist in northern Colorado.

Jennifer McPherson with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies pointed out the legal difficulties as well: “If someone felt like they were being discriminated against, they could come to the civil rights division and file a complaint with our office, and we would investigate that.”

But Antillon wants the discount to be a way to bring people together, not tear them apart. “We’re all American,” he said.

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