Jim Boggess wanted to honor his heritage and share it with his local community. As the owner of a deli in Flemington, he believed he had discovered the perfect way to bring his vision to life. Those walking by the deli on Main Street were welcomed by a handwritten sign that proclaimed, “CELEBRATE YOUR WHITE HERITAGE IN MARCH, WHITE HISTORY MONTH.”
This sign did not have the impact Boggess had anticipated. One of his customers, Bhakti Curtis, expressed strong discontent regarding it. Curtis, who is of mixed-race heritage, was particularly upset when he saw the sign. He went to the Flemington Police Department to lodge a complaint, claiming that the sign was “mocking Black History Month” and pointed out that the “T” in “WHITE” was crossed out in a manner reminiscent of KKK symbolism.
Although the police did not consider the sign to be racist or offensive, Boggess was still facing other repercussions. After being questioned about the sign for nearly four days, he ultimately decided to remove it. Unfortunately, by that time, the harm had already been done. Customers began to avoid the deli, and his financial troubles continued to escalate.
A month after the sign was displayed, Boggess had to shut down the deli. This happened despite him having reconciled with Curtis, and the two even posed for a photo together, shaking hands.
Boggess ultimately had to turn to the community for assistance. He launched a GoFundMe campaign called “Jimbos white history sign gone bad.”
The page reads;
“If you haven’t heard of this story and you want to read about it, just google Flemington white history or go on YouTube and search White History Month. Anyway, it went crazy for four days and then I had to take the sign down for various reasons. It was only supposed to be a white thing, but people read more into it than that.
I don’t think I deserve this just because I wanted to be proud of being white and be able to celebrate my heritage like everyone else does. If you read this, please leave a comment and what state you’re from so I can see where my support is coming from.
Thank you for all the support and I WILL stay strong and hope to find a job.
Thank you,
Jimbo Boggess”
Boggess mentioned that he received numerous letters from supporters across the nation. However, despite this encouragement, his clientele dwindled, leading to the loss of his American dream.
Source used : NJ.com