FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, Broward County, a county that is home to over 600,000 Hispanics, posted a racially insensitive tweet marking the start of the month meant to honor and recognize Hispanic culture and history.
The county government’s official Twitter account posted a GIF of a dancing taco with maracas in an attempt to acknowledge the month “in a celebratory way,” a county spokesperson said.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, was met with dozens of comments of disbelief and mockery for its racial insensitivity and stereotyping. The photo was also posted to the county’s Facebook page and has been removed.
Greg Meyer, a spokesman for the county, said the employee who posted the tweet has been counseled on “sensitivity to all cultures,” and the county has replaced the image with something “more appropriate.” The new image says “National Hispanic Heritage Month,” with the dates Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
“When I saw the tweet from our office I had the employee who posted it remove the image and replace it with a more appropriate image,” Meyer said. “A dancing taco is not representative of the Hispanic community and should not have been associated with the annual celebration.”
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