Who is Trinity Bethune? Black woman labeled ‘Bon Quisha’ on FB by car dealers
A North Carolina woman’s first car-buying experience was tainted because of an offensive Facebook post made by the dealers. Trinity Bethune purchased her first car at Lumberton Honda on Wednesday, July 21. Her excitement, however, was met with an allegedly racist post.
When Bethune logged into Facebook on Thursday, July 22, she saw a post on the dealership's page that read, "Congratulations to Bon Quisha on her 2016 Toyota Camry." She responded to the post with, "I'm not sure if this is a 'joke' or something but my name is definitely Trinity Bethune. 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.”
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The post, which was up for more than an hour before getting removed, was shared all over social media. "The name 'Bon Quisha' — it seems like a stereotype for someone, you know, for them to be like ghetto," Bethune, who works as a personal care assistant, told reporters. "It's something people use towards Black people as a racial slur and as an offensive term."
The 21-year-old said it was hurtful to be reduced to a stereotype. "I feel like my character was played with. I mean, I think I carry myself in a very well manner," she said.
The dealership’s owner said that the employee who made the offensive post has been fired. They also reached out to Bethune to apologize. The owner, who said he was Native American, said the action of that one individual does not represent their diverse group of employees.
Bethune’s brother Tyrone Jacob wrote on Facebook, “This is not how I planned to congratulate my little sister on her first car purchase. This is completely intentional, disgusting, unfair, and many other adjectives I could use to describe this situation. Rather than responding like a ‘Bon Quisha,’ I’m responding like a Karen. This was not a mistake. With the exception of the letter “N,” her name is spelled using the first row of the keyboard.”
He further wrote, “Typing Bon Quisha requires effort and intent. I’m outraged that she was publicly humiliated without a public/private apology. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of my colleagues in the legal space, but please tell me if this is something my family should explore. She’s not well at the moment. If you know her, please send love her way.”
Lumberton Honda released a statement apologizing for the post: “Lumberton Honda and our entire staff sincerely apologize and regret the recent inappropriate post towards one of our valued customers. The action of this former employee does not represent the views or culture of our company. Lumberton Honda has been a part of the community for over 18 years, serving thousands of customers of all ethnicities. This incident reminds us that there is always room for improvement.”