Beaner's to Biggby Coffee

For those of you who do not know, the coffee shop "Beaner's" has changed their name to "Biggby's" now as the result to much controversy over the original name. This topic has sparked a few conversations among myself with some friends and family. At first, I took an ignorant perspective and really did not understand why the change. I asked a barista working in the coffee shop one day why the store had changed its name. She told me that the word "beaner," was actually a derogatory slur against people of the Mexican ethnicity. This may be surprising for some people, but I had never heard this term before and I was really surprised. This is where my ignorance came in. I was talking with a friend trying to work out my misunderstanding. I thought, they didn't name the coffee shop to be offensive, they named it after the coffee BEAN in a fun way. If it's not meant to be offensive why would someone say it was. I want to make it clear that I completely recognize my own ignorance and I am thankful that I have learned since then. What I learned was that the name didn't have to INTEND to be offensive in order to BE offensive. I was not thinking about it from a different point of view, a point of view that would take it offensively. I relate this to the video we watched in class, "In Whose Honor," where a Native American woman protests against the University of Indiana's "Chief" mascot. The fans who were mostly not of Native American descent argued that the "Chief" was not intended to cause offense, only to honor the Native Americans. But the Native American woman felt strongly offended to the point of mockery. I have never personally experienced something like this but I can only imagine the feelings it must ignite. So, I am proud to say that my feelings on this topic have grown a little more and my awareness of others feelings, even if I cannot personally identify. Now I feel personally responsible for educating others in any way I can and help them to work out their misunderstandings the way I had to... even if it is just starting with this little blog.