Denny’s to Raise $1M for MLK Center
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The King Center in Atlanta will be the next beneficiary of a $1 million fund-raising campaign by Denny’s, the restaurant chain stung by charges of racism a decade ago.
The money will be used by the center to encourage volunteerism, including creation of a database of volunteer opportunities in every ZIP code, Ray Hood-Phillips, chief diversity officer for Denny’s, said Friday.
In the 1990s, the South Carolina-based company’s restaurants were accused of making blacks prepay for meals, not serving them as quickly as whites and sometimes not serving blacks at all.
A $54 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit led to reforms. The grant to the King Center is part of the company’s “Reignite the Dream” program, which sets aside 20 cents for every All-American Slam breakfast Denny’s sells for a particular grant recipient.
Last year’s recipient was the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. The company will begin collecting for the King Center in January. It should take about a year to raise the $1 million, company officials said.
The center was established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King to advance the legacy of her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
November 11th, 2002 at 5:41 pm
Well, I’m glad to see that those nasty white people at Denny’s got nailed for $54 million because they dared to exercise their first amendment right to freedom of association. After all, the first amendment was written by racist white males, don’tcha know?
November 17th, 2002 at 2:39 am
Of course, presented with a black business that didn’t allow why patrons in, Rurik would be howling for blood. It’s funny how those on the upside of racism most often rationalize it as “freedom of association.” A couple of points on that:
A)There is no freedom of association in the bill of rights, but there are constitutional amendments against discrimination.
B)Businesses, as public commercial entities, do not enjoy the same constitutional rights as people. For example, a business cannot advertise that it gives X product away for free, when it reality it doesn’t.