Crack open a history book.
Via KCBD:
A Lubbock restaurant is defending a controversial sign that some are calling racist.
The neon sign is a caricature of an African-American man, with a porter’s cap, with the words Coon Chicken Inn written inside the mouth.
The issue came up after a person attending a company Christmas party on Wednesday night at Cook’s Garage noticed the sign hanging on the wall. The person posted the photos on Facebook and got the attention of the owners of Cook’s Garage.
Owners of the restaurant responded to the social media complaint about the sign less than 24 hours later, and their response has gone viral.
The post says “We did not put this sign up to be derogatory, racist or to offend anyone. This is part of Americana History…just like everything else hung in our collection and buildings.” The post also contains images of the sign, and other signs they have collected, which are all hanging on the walls of the restaurant.
The post goes on to say “Aunt Jemima, mammies, and lots of other black collectibles are highly sought after, as is Americana collectibles with white characters. The Coon Chicken Inn was an actual restaurant started in the 20’s. Again, we want to stress we do not intend to offend anyone, and are only preserving a part of history that should remind us all of the senselessness of racial prejudice.”