Barnes & Noble responds to racist window display controversy

March 13, 11:07 AMCommunity Building Blocks ExaminerFM Johnson

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IBarnes & Noble display at Coral Gables, Florida store sparks outrage.

This photo of a Barnes & Noble display window in Coral Gables, Florida has been widely circulated over the internet, prompting outrage acrosss the country.  Many people find the display to be racist, reinforcing the age-old stereotype of African Americans as less than human.

Barnes & Nobles' official response is that they investigated the incident and found that the display was altered by a customer and does not represent the views of the company.  Angry customers question the thoroughness of the investigation and argue that an employee may be responsible for the display change.  For example, how could a customer have the time to  climb into a display window, change books, climb out and leave without a single employee noticing?  What were they doing?  Reading books?

Barnes & Nobles' response, sounds more like a "Miss America answer" than the results of an actual investigation.  CNN's Roland Martin invited the corporate office to address the issue during his segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.  They declined to participate. Are Barnes & Noble covering up the actions of a store employee?  Their lack of transparency doesn't make their explanation very convincing.