Excuse me, sir? You called her what?
The Lumberton Honda car dealership in North Carolina is justly under fire after they called a young Black woman a stereotypical name on social media after she purchased a 2016 Toyota Camry.
The business posted on its Facebook profile the 21-year-old health professional with her new vehicle with the caption, “’Congratulations to Bon Quisha on her 2016 Toyota Camry.
The problem is her name is Trinity Bethune. Bon Quisha is a colorful sobriquet created in a popular video made by kids that made fun of Black girls’ names.
It appears as 53 on in this Top 60 list from the early 2000s.
In the Urban Dictionary, it reads “’loquacious white boy that acts like a Black woman as a joke.”
It is not a joke, it is a derogatory term, used to embarrass and demean.
Trinity Bethune saw the Facebook post and immediately responded, “I’m not sure if this is a “joke” or something, but my name is definitely Trinity Bethune.”
Trinity Bethune continued, “I’m very offended by this post, it’s almost a racial slur. If I’m not addressed by MY name, then please don’t address me at all.” Others immediately responded.
Trinity Bethune’s brother Tyrone Jacob was one of the first to point out their hurtful racist act.
“This is not how I planned to congratulate my little sister on her first car purchase. This is completely intentional, disgusting, unfair and many other adjectives I could use to describe this situation. Rather than responding like a “Bon Quisha,” I’m responding like a Karen. This was not a mistake. With the exception of the letter “N,” her name is spelled using the first row of the keyboard.”
Jacob went on to write, “Typing Bon Quisha requires effort and intent. I’m outraged that she was publicly humiliated without a public/private apology. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of my colleagues in the legal space, but please tell me if this is something my family should explore. She’s not well at the moment. If you know her, please send love her way.”
The dealership posted an apology on its Facebook page.
“Lumberton Honda and our entire staff sincerely apologize and regret the recent inappropriate post towards one of our valued customers. The action of this former employee does not represent the views or culture of our company. Lumberton Honda has been a part of the community for over 18 years, serving thousands of customers of all ethnicities. This incident reminds us that there is always room for improvement. Again, please accept our sincere apology. We are truly sorry. Lumberton Honda”
It is to be noted that still did not dignify the “mistake” by addressing Trinity Bethune by her name. It is unclear if they issued a private apology to Trinity Bethune.
The post has been deleted, but not before #TrinityBethune was trending on Twitter.
People are calling for a boycott and for her to return the car.
“And the car would’ve been back ASAP They knew that girl’s name and basically called her ghetto. S### is disgusting! #lumbertonhonda #trinitybethune”
“Return that car to @honda and get your money back even if they “apologize”. #honda #trinitybethune”
“Congratulations on the car young lady!!!! Her name is Trinity Bethune! This is shameful that someone would call her Bon Quisha. That’s racist. Address her by her name please. I’m so glad the culprit was fired. #trinitybethune #BeKind”
“its the way we got those ratings dropping on their page for me because GO PLAY W| YA MAMMY NOT OUR SISTER ‘Lumberton Honda’ go leave a review yall ! #SayNoToRacism #SAYHERNAME #TRINITYBETHUNE #Anotherdayinamerica #LumbertonHonda”
Now, Lumberton Honda’s social media is private and now the company is “scrubbing” their Google reviews to review the negative comments.
Added note:There are some Black girl (and boy) names that are creative and difficult to pronounce, requiring you to use all of your mouth to say them: the tongue, your lips, and the very back of your throat.
Those names are beautiful. Whether their names are created by their parents, combined family names/ nicknames, or selected to represent one’s ethnicity or nationality.
Whatever it is, make sure that people say it
correctly.