Cracker Barrel's support of Pride Month is the latest to draw calls for boycott online

Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed restaurant chain based in Tennessee, is drawing ire from far-right conservatives on social media after they discovered a page dedicated to celebrating Pride Month under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) section of its website.

Conservatives took to social media claiming that the chain, with 663 stores spread throughout 45 states in the U.S., had gone “woke” in a similar fashion to Chick-fil-A, which drew backlash in May after fans discovered the site’s DEI page.

The Cracker Barrel Pride page highlights a pro-LGBTQ message from Angelee Feltner and Matt Lively of its LGBTQ+ Alliance and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) Team and the company’s efforts to support Pride Month at Nashville Pride events by “bringing the front porch to Pride.”

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The initiative took Cracker Barrel’s front porch, known for being decked out in wooden rocking chairs with tables featuring games patrons can play while they wait for a table, and brought it out to Nashville parks where people could come and sit on rainbow-painted rocking chairs and cool off with refreshments.

Social media reacts to Cracker Barrel Pride Month celebration

A Facebook post from the company about Pride Month drew in tens of thousands of reactions, including over 69,000 comments from fans mostly in favor of the company’s support.

Twitter was a different story.

The top posts regarding Cracker Barrel on Twitter echoed calls for boycotts and claims that the restaurant chain had “caved to the mob.”

“We take no pleasure in reporting that @CrackerBarrel has fallen,” tweeted the Texas Family Project, a conservative advocacy group based in Austin. “A once family friendly establishment has caved to the mob.”

The tweet, which has nearly 7,000 replies and has been seen over 16 million times, drew wide support from other users.

“My list of boycotted companies is longer than a CVS receipt,” one user replied. “My family will not be eating or pegging at Cracker Barrel any longer. Go woke, go broke,” said another.

“Go woke, go broke” was a phrase parroted by many of the tweets, including conservative screenwriter and author Colette Harrington, who tweeted “Cracker Barrel has no idea who their costumer [sic] base is. They’ve gone crackers, that’s for sure! What is the government up to that’s making all these companies give the middle finger to their costumers [sic]? CB this Bud’s for you. Go woke go broke!”

What does being woke mean?

The term “woke” was popularized by Black Americans who used it to describe people who were alert to racial and social injustices.

Conservative lawmakers and activists commandeered the term and began using it to denounce progressive values and initiatives.

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What is Pride Month?

Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. It also celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and the fight for equal rights.

The Stonewall Uprising began June 28, 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a prominent gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. According to USA Today, protests over the next six days shifted LGBTQ+ activism in the U.S.

Today, Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, promote visibility and inclusion and highlight important policy and resource issues the community faces.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Cracker Barrel Pride Month support latest to draw calls for boycotts