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Thousands of protesters in California convinced a restaurant in Santa Barbara to change its name, which is a racial epithet, amid the George Floyd protests.
What’s going on:
- The restaurant Sambo’s in Santa Barbara hasn’t decided on a new name yet, but it intends to switch as a way to take action amid nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality, according to SF Gate.
- Staff covered the restaurant’s name with symbols and letters for peace and love.
- The restaurant’s owners, Chad and Michelle Stevens, wrote in a joint statement on the restaurant’s Facebook page that the name would change.
- “Our family has looked into our hearts and realize that we must be sensitive when others whom we respect make a strong appeal. So today we stand in solidarity with those seeking change and doing our part as best we can.”
Why the change?
- Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett opened the restaurant in 1957. The couple combined the first three letters of their name to create the name, Sambo’s — which is “a derogatory slur against black and indigenous people,” according to SF Gate.
- The restaurant was under fire for several years from activists who disagreed with the name, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
- City spokesperson Anthony Wagner told The Independent: “I think Mr. Stevens said it best. He wasn’t married to a name. The name meant something to him because it was the first and last initials of his grandfather, but the perception and what it had become was something Mr. Stevens didn’t stand for. I applaud Rachelle and Mr. Stevens for having the introspection to bring about positive change.”