Controversy forces name change for 'The Sit-In' coffee shop in North Nashville

Nashville coffee king Bob Bernstein plans to change the name of his soon-to-open North Nashville coffee shop The Sit-In after massive backlash broke out on Facebook.

Bernstein — owner of Bongo Java and Fido — is opening his new place on the ground floor of new apartments at 1821 Jefferson St. He announced the name two months ago to honor the civil rights movement.

But a few days ago, several African-American community activists posted messages saying it was wrong for Bernstein to make money by associating with civil rights protests.

"This is the last straw in a long line of local establishments that profit from the pain and culture of African-Americans," artist Omari Booker posted Wednesday.

More: The story that inspired Nashville's first civil rights public art

Booker made that comment under a protest photo posted with hashtags #BoycottBongo and #BoycottFido on it.

The post had been shared more than 150 times by Thursday afternoon and had hundreds of angry comments.

"I would never want to patronize a place that literally profits off of the struggle and pain of my mother and grandmothers everyday lives during that time," artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik posted. "What is he going to decorate it with, photos of black people being attacked by police dogs??" (sic)

'It is at best in poor taste'

Crystal deGregory, a Fisk graduate and historian and director of the Atwood Institute for Race, Education and the Democratic Ideal at Kentucky State University, agreed.

"In a city where mostly black college students risked their literal lives for freedoms that they should have inalienably enjoyed, it is at best in poor taste, and at worse yet another example of the absence of real value associated with real black lives," deGregory said in a text message.

"All of this at a time when black people, the poor and the indigent have been forced to the margins of life in gentrified Nashville."

Bernstein said backlash is hurtful

Bernstein called such comments hurtful, especially because he reached out to community leaders and some organizers of the 1960s Nashville sit-in protests before announcing the name.

Bernstein said those leaders, including young activist Justin Jones and sit-in organizer Kwame Leo Lillard, offered him unanimous support for the name The Sit-In.

'The struggle continues': John Lewis, civil rights leaders speak at site of Nashville sit-ins

Bernstein felt even stronger about the name when he learned the main 1960s student protest organizing building was next to the Jefferson Street coffee shop property.

Bernstein said he is surprised by the sudden backlash.

"The idea was to pay tribute to a movement that inspired me. To have it used against me is hurtful."

Tougher still, Bernstein said he was invited to open a shop in the building after several other vendors declined.

He's moving forward with plans to open the coffee shop — with employees hired from North Nashville — and he plans to ask the community for suggestions for a new name.

Adam Tamburin contributed to this story. Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com or 615-259-8384 or on Twitter @bradschmitt.