Amarillo NAACP President Floyd Anthony has issued a letter to the owner of one local restaurant regarding the controversy of the establishment’s name.

In a statement, Anthony said the Amarillo NAACP stands in support with the Amarillo LULAC chapter regarding the name of a new restaurant, which has generated controversy for its allegedly racially charged name. The Big Beaners restaurant planned by Amarillo attorney Jesse Quackenbush has drawn widespread criticism for its name, while Quackenbush has defended the restaurant’s name as marketing. Anthony also called for Quackenbush to change the establishment’s name.

“We request that you strongly consider changing this repugnant name,” Anthony said to Quackenbush in the letter. “The use of the word "beaners" is tantamount to putting a knee on the throats of all persons of Mexican descent or cultural heritage in Amarillo and this great nation.”

Anthony’s full statement is below:

The Amarillo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) stands with and support members of LLULAC in addressing the use of the offensive and racist term "beaners" in the name of your restaurant. We request that you strongly consider changing this repugnant name. The use of the word "beaners" is tantamount to putting a knee on the throats of all persons of Mexican descent or cultural heritage in Amarillo and this great nation. This only continues the spiral of racial intolerance and racial hatred that is becoming politically correct in this country.
The Amarillo Branch of the NAACP will continue to stand against discrimination of any sort, against any one in our Community. As the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated so eloquently:
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
As a respected member of this community we hope you will resolve this issue expediently.
Sincerely,
Floyd Anthony
President, Amarillo Branch NAACP