by Harry Wilmerding
A national spice retail company sent out an email to its customers calling Republicans “racist” before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
The Wisconsin-based Penzeys Spices company sent out an email to all its customers the morning of Jan. 14 with the subject line “Republicans Are Racists Weekend,” Fox 6 Milwaukee reported.
“If you are a Republican voter you are now cheesed off. You were promised that there would never be any accountability for your support of the party of open ‘textbook’ racism,” Penzey CEO Bill Penzey reportedly said in the email.
“Sorry, but for the betterment of all Americans, you included, we’ve decided to end that rule. And I really don’t care what your race is or how many of your friends ‘happen to be’ whatever,” Penzey said, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. “None of that excuses you,” Penzey added.
The company posted a copy of the email on its Facebook page, which drew backlash and criticism. One comment said “I just threw out my ‘Be Kind Penzeys’ magnet. What a hypocritical company,” Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. Penzey accused customers who supported former President Donald Trump of committing an act of “racism” by voting for Trump in 2016.
In a 2016 Facebook post titled “Cooking trumps racism,” Penzey wrote “You really are a good bunch, but you just committed the biggest act of racism in American history since Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway 53 years ago,” Fox 6 Milwaukee reported.
“Take ownership for what you have done and begin the pathway forward,” the post reportedly said.
Meanwhile, in 2019, the spice company spent almost $100,000 on Facebook ads calling for the then-president’s impeachment, according to Fox 6 Milwaukee.
Penzeys Spices did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Harry Wilmerding is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Penzeys Spices” by Lola Audu. CC BY 2.0.
