SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A small group of protestors held signs and marched in circles in front of the book blacking lounge at this weekend’s International Boot Black competition claiming the term “boot black” is a racial epithet.
“It’s disgusting,” Tina Smothers, 39, told The Daily Flogger, “I thought we were past this kind of thing. This is worse that the Washington Redskins or Atlanta Braves. It is a clear effort to erase a very painful chapter in America’s history by turning it into a competition.”
BootBoiSL, 29, who has held several titles in the art tried to explain to protestors that “boot blacking has nothing to do with race, it is just a term for someone who shines shoes.”
Hannah St. Clair, 22, made the trip to San Francisco for the event after writing her thesis in ethnic studies at UC Santa Cruz. “These people don’t understand that any time someone uses the word black or brown they are being oppressors. Why can’t we just call them a ‘boot person’ or ‘boot persyn’ because when you spell it with an o, it is patriarchal.”
BoiBootBlackBoi, 57, called St. Clair, “an idiot.” The elder bootblack, who is African American, told The Daily Flogger, “some people are just stupid and you just have to ignore them. Bitches are probably also members of PETA and at a leather conference. Let’s hope they don’t figure that one out.”
