Original Mother's Bar Accused of Racial Discrimination

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 6:15PM

A famous Chicago nightclub is facing allegations of racial discrimination after claiming to ban African-American students for violating the dress code while white students wearing the same type of clothing were let inside, CNN.com reports.

Six African-American students from Washington University in St. Louis were allegedly kept outside Original Mother's Bar for violating the dress code -- for wearing baggy jeans -- while hundreds of their white classmates were let in, in one case wearing the very same jeans,

Mother's Bar personnel said the excluded students violated the dress code by wearing baggy jeans, Washington University senior class president Fernando Cutz told CNN.com, but when a white student and a black student swapped jeans and tried to get in, the white student was let through while his black classmate was still banned.

The students filed complaints with the Chicago Human Rights Commission, the Illinois Attorney General, the U.S. Department of Justice and other groups.

Original Mother's bar did not return calls from CNN.

[Via CNN.com]

Filed Under: Food News
Tags: chicago, cnn, original mothers bar, OriginalMothersBar, racial discrimination, RacialDiscrimination, washington university, WashingtonUniversity