Breaking News Emails
A Colorado barbecue joint is taking heat after announcing a plan to hold a day honoring white people.
"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 and Country Cafe in Milliken, Colorado, told NBC affiliate KUSA.
The idea for "White Appreciation Day" was originally a joke, but Antillon decided to turn it into a real deal, hanging up a sign at Rubbin Buttz that reads "White Appreciation Day! June 11th. Because 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.
Critics called the plan absurd.
"It's wrong. If you're going to give a discount, give it to the whole community," Ricardo Romero, a civil rights activist in northern Colorado, told KUSA.
There could also be legal repercussions, said Jennifer McPherson with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.
"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," she said.
Antillon insists the discount is meant to bring people together, not discriminate. He added that as a first-generation American born to Mexican parents, he has experienced racism throughout his life.
"We're all American. Plain and simple. Whether you come from a different country or you were born here, we're all American," he said.