Jim Boggess, a deli owner in Flemington, thought he was doing something positive when he posted a sign in his store window celebrating his heritage. The sign read, “CELEBRATE YOUR WHITE HERITAGE IN MARCH, WHITE HISTORY MONTH.” Unfortunately, his good intentions were misunderstood, leading to the downfall of his business.
The sign quickly sparked outrage, especially from Bhakti Curtis, a customer of mixed-race heritage. Curtis believed the sign mocked Black History Month and pointed out that the crossed “T” in “WHITE” resembled a symbol associated with the KKK. He filed a complaint with the police, who determined the sign wasn’t racist or derogatory.
Despite the police’s findings, the backlash was severe. After four days of public criticism, Boggess removed the sign, but the damage was done. Customers stopped coming to his deli, and his business began to fail. Even after apologizing to Curtis and taking a photo with him to show reconciliation, Boggess was forced to close his deli a month later.
In a desperate attempt to save his business, Boggess started a GoFundMe campaign, explaining that his goal was to celebrate his heritage, not to offend anyone. While he received letters of support from across the country, it wasn’t enough to save his deli. Jim Boggess’s dream of running a successful business came to an end.
