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Toronto Family Shocked to See N-Word Affixed to Furniture
By DiversityInc
April 11, 2007
Toronto resident Doris Moore, who is black and originally from New York, was shocked when her 7-year-old daughter, Olivia, asked her, "Mommy, what is nig ... ger brown?"
Olivia had read the word on the labels of a new chocolate-colored sofa, loveseat and chair set that Moore and her husband Douglas recently purchased. Moore said she was shocked to see packing labels describe the shade as "Nigger-brown."
Being curious, Olivia "started reading the labels ... I went over and just couldn't believe my eyes," said Moore.
Each piece of furniture had a similar label affixed to the woven protective covering wrapped around the furniture, Moore told the Toronto Star, which first reported the story.
"In this day and age, that's totally unacceptable," Moore said. Her husband explained to their daughter the origin of the word and why it is pejorative.
Moore tried to contact the furniture store but the store manager never returned her calls. The Star, however, did speak to the store's assistant manager, who said the responsibility lies with their supplier. He promised to make sure that similar sofa sets had their labels removed.
The store's supplier apologized for the labels but said he had not noticed them and then passed the responsibility on to his China-based supplier. He said he would contact the furniture maker in Guangzhou and demand they remove all similar labels.
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