Denny’s Launches Social Change Initiative, Donates Millions Amid Enduring Racial Profiling Legacy

Source: John Greim / Getty

A national restaurant chain with a notorious reputation for discriminating against Black patrons has established an initiative championing social change while also donating millions of dollars to Black advocacy organizations.

Denny’s, which is less than a year removed from its latest incident of racially profiling Black customers, was set to launch its Community Alliance Initiative on Thursday in part with contributions totaling more than $3 million, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a press release.

The $3.3 million being donated by Denny’s will help provide scholarships to students at the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas College of Law as well as benefit the NAACP and the Urban League, according to the press release.

Denny’s Community Alliance Initiative comes as a result of a partnership between Crump and the restaurant chain. The collaborative initiative is “dedicated to social change and forging strong alliances with advocates,” the press release said.

Crump was expected to be joined in announcing the initiative by Denny’s CEO and President Kelli Valade, Denny’s Board Chair Brenda Lauderback, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and Benjamin L. Crump College of Law Dean Tarlika Nunez-Navarro, among others.

A legacy Of racial profiling and discrimination at Denny’s

Missing from the announcement of Denny’s Community Alliance Initiative was any mention of why the collaborative was being formed or the restaurant chain’s enduring decades-long legacy of racial discrimination.

Most recently, two Black truckers last August recorded their interaction with a waitress at a Denny’s location in South Dakota where they were repeatedly refused service and criminalized by having the police called on them by management over false claims of intimidation about would-be customers who said they simply wanted to eat and pay for their meals.

Denny’s quickly launched an investigation but notably did not issue an apology.

Instead, Denny’s said in an email to NewsOne that it “has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination at all Denny’s locations” and insisted that its restaurants “embrace diversity and foster an inclusive environment where every guest feels welcome.”

Denny’s seemingly earned its unshakable reputation for racism more than 30 years ago when six Black Secret Service agents filed a federal discrimination suit claiming one of its restaurants in Annapolis, Maryland, refused to serve them.

At the time in 1993, Denny’s and the NAACP signed a Fair Share Agreement to provide minorities with greater employment and business opportunities throughout the company.

The incident in Annapolis became so notoriously well-known in popular culture that the renowned jazz musician Branford Marsalis (under the stage name Buckshot LeFonque) released a hip-hop-fused song called “Breakfast at Denny’s” the following year.

Since then, at least eight other such incidents have taken place at various Denny’s locations across the country, including what happened in South Dakota.

SEE ALSO:

George Floyd’s Uncle Rips Denny’s For Refusing To Serve Black Men In Viral Incident: ‘Racism Is Still Very Real’

A Timeline Of Denny’s Racially Profiling And Discriminating

The post Denny’s Launches Social Change Initiative, Donates Millions Amid Enduring Racial Profiling Legacy appeared first on NewsOne.

Read more