Black woman says NC dealership called her derogatory name on Facebook after buying car
A North Carolina car dealership’s Facebook page has been flooded with comments after it reportedly referred to a Black woman as “Bon Quisha” in a post congratulating her on buying her first car.
The woman’s name is Trinity Bethune.
“I’m not sure if this is a ‘joke’ or something but my name is definitely Trinity Bethune,” she said in a comment on the since-deleted post. “I’m very offended by this post, it’s almost a racial slur. If I’m not addressed by MY name then please don’t address me at all.”
Lumberton Honda issued a statement just before 6 p.m. Friday apologizing for the “inappropriate post” and confirming the person who wrote it no longer works there.
“Lumberton Honda has been a part of the community for over 18 years, serving thousands of customers of all ethnicities,” the dealership said. “This incident reminds us that there is always room for improvement. Again, please accept our sincere apology. We are truly sorry.”
The Facebook post appeared to have been made Thursday. It shows Bethune standing in front of a white Toyota outside the dealership with the caption, “Congratulations to Bon Quisha on her 2016 Toyota Camry.”
Bethune’s brother, Tyrone Jacob, shared a screenshot of the post on his personal Facebook page before it was taken down. He called it “completely intentional, disgusting, unfair.”
“This was not a mistake. With the exception of the letter ‘N,’ her name is spelled using the first row of the keyboard,” Jacob said. “Typing Bon Quisha requires effort and intent. I’m outraged that she was publicly humiliated without a public/private apology.”
Bethune also posted about the incident on her Facebook just before 8 a.m. Eastern time Friday, saying she doesn’t believe the dealership’s actions were an “honest mistake.”
“It was intended as a ‘joke’ I’m assuming,” she said. “I’m very offended. If you know what a ‘Bon Quisha’ (is) you will be also. As a black woman, I carry myself in a way where I will not have to be stereotyped. This is public humiliation and at the LEAST, I deserve an apology.”
Urban Dictionary defines “Bonquisha” as a “loquacious white boy that acts like a Black women as a joke.” It’s also seen as a derogatory term that stereotypes Black people.
Hundreds of people have since commented on Lumberton Honda’s Facebook page demanding an apology or boycott. An advertisement for new APR rates posted on the dealership’s page around 11 a.m. Eastern time Friday has garnered more than 500 comments.
“You might want to Apologize for Blatant racism and disrespect before you post about another car... How dare you!!!” one person said.
“Seriously, this is the first thing you post????” another commented. “How about a public statement on how y’all messed up instead of hocking more cars???”
An older post from July 17 congratulating a couple on their new car has more than 500 comments — mostly from people questioning why the dealership was able to spell their names correctly.
“So apparently it easy to type proper names if your customers are white,” someone said.
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Black woman says NC dealership called her derogatory name on Facebook after buying car."
