SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — There was a time in our nation’s history when racist imagery depicting African Americans were commonly displayed.
Those created images grossly exaggerated physical features to make fun of Black people.
Rachel Quist, is a local independent researcher, historian, contributor to the Sema Hadithi Foundation, and creator of a blog called Rachel’s Historywhere she posts her findings.
Quist recently came across information about Salt Lake City restaurants that once existed and had racially charged undertones.
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One such restaurant was called C***Chicken Inn.
The building’s description would likely shock many in today’s generation.
“And this is a large Black man’s face with a porter cap and you would enter through his mouth into the restaurant,” said Quist.
This restaurant chain originated in Salt Lake City and later expanded to Portland, and Seattle.
“The main location was in Salt Lake on Highland Drive, that’s where it startedthat was the first one that opened and the last one to close,” said Quist.
Back in the mid-1920’s to about the late 1950’s this restaurant stood in the 2900 block of Highland Drive. Today, that site is mostly a parking lot.
“What’s interesting about that restaurant is that it started fairly early in the 1920’s which is really when the KKK was very active in Salt Lake so it makes sense,” said Quist.
It’s likely somebody in your family who was around back then who’s living today may have heard or may have been a patron at this restaurant.
Quist explains that items such as menus and other memorabilia can be found on eBay but warns some of the items there may be a mimic of the real thing.
Black people were allowed to work at the restaurant as servers and cooks but could not be served as patrons.
After facing numerous protests from Black members of the community, the C*** Chicken Inn closed its doors for good in 1957.
