S P O N S O R E D B Y :
Chris Rock's Mother Claims Racial Discrimination at Cracker Barrel Restaurant
By The Associated Press
October 19, 2006
Rose Rock, the mother of comedian
Chris Rock, claims she was racially discriminated against when she was seated
but ignored for more than a half hour at a Cracker Barrel restaurant along the
South Carolina coast.
Rock said Tuesday she planned to
sue the Lebanon, Tenn.–based company. A Cracker Barrel spokesperson said the
restaurant chain was investigating and taking the complaint "very seriously."
Cracker Barrel has in the past
faced numerous lawsuits and a federal inquiry over complaints of refusing to
serve black customers, discriminating against workers of color and firing gay
employees. The company has taken steps to rebuild its folksy image and reach out
to these groups.
|
DiversityInc Bookstore |
|
|
Shifting - The Double Lives of Black Women in America
Based on the African American Women's Voices Project, Shifting reveals that a large number of African American women feel pressure to compromise their true selves as they navigate America's racial and gender bigotry.
For More
Information |
| Rock said she and her 21-year-old
daughter were the only blacks at the chain's Murrells Inlet restaurant in April.
She said when she asked the manager about the delay she was told they could have
a free meal.
"He never called over the
waitresses and asked, 'Why did these people sit here for an hour without
service?'" she said. "The only thing he said was we could have a free meal and
neither of us wanted to eat."
Cracker Barrel spokesperson Julie
Davis said the company doesn't "tolerate any form of discrimination."
"It has always been a violation of
our policies and procedures and it is neither condoned nor allowed," she said.
Rock said she contacted the South
Carolina Human Affairs Commission and was told her complaint would be handled,
but "nothing ever happened."
The head of the commission, Jesse
Washington, said Tuesday that after initial discussions, the complaint was
finalized Aug. 7 and his agency also was investigating. He would not comment on
the complaint.
"We get thousands of charges
coming through here in the course of a year," he said. "It is being investigated
and we will be in touch with her when we have a report."
The Rev. Al Sharpton will join
Rock on Wednesday in South
Carolina to announce that Sharpton's
Action Network will finance the planned lawsuit.
"I'm getting reports from all over
the country about Cracker Barrel," Sharpton said from
New
York on Tuesday. He also said state
officials are slow to act on such complaints. "When people are talking about
there is no more discrimination, a lot of it is because they are not following
this stuff up," Sharpton said.
Cracker Barrel, established in
1969, operates 547 restaurants in 41 states, according to the company's web
site. (AP)
|
DiversityInc Bookstore |
|
|
The NIA Guide
for Black Women - Achieving Career Success On Your Terms
A practical
guide to developing leadership skills, pursuing workplace success and
effectiveness, climbing the corporate ladder, and achieving empowerment
for today’s African American working woman.
For More Information |
More from Today's Diversity News
<< PREVIOUS ITEM | NEXT ITEM >>
Send Your Comments About This Article Now
©DiversityInc. Reproduction in any format is absolutely prohibited.
|
digg this | 
mixx! | 
reddit
del.icio.us
Newsvine | 
| 
