ADL in Action: Standing Up to Unfair Treatment

Date: November 4, 2009

ADL learned that on October 17th, Mother's Original Bar in Chicago had admitted 200 Washington University students, but excluded six of their African-American peers due to their "baggy pants."  The League wrote to the bar to express concern that their selective enforcement of its dress code may be a pretext for racial discrimination.

The African-American students alleged that they offered to change their clothes, but were told that they would not be admitted even in different attire.  When a white student approached the bar wearing the same pants that had been worn by one of the African-American students, he was admitted without question.

After learning about this story, ADL immediately reached out to the Washington University students and wrote a letter to Mother's Original Bar on their behalf.  The Chicago Urban League joined the League as a signatory of the letter that demanded Mother's reexamine its dress code, conduct immediate retraining of all employees to avoid any future racial discrimination or appearance thereof, and issue a formal letter of apology to the six students who were denied entry.

The bar has affirmed their commitment that incidents of hate, bigotry and prejudice will not be tolerated.  ADL hopes to provide an A World of Difference® Institute workplace sensitivity training for all Mother's employees in the near future.