Visitors to the luxury hotel’s lobby and lounge during the tournament were astounded when they noticed a 15 percent “CIAA service charge” to all checks.
“We thought, ‘That’s interesting,’” said Patrice Wright to Charlotte’s WBTV. She said she and her husband who enjoyed sweet potato fries and two drinks each. When the bill came, it included a charge of $10.20 for “CIAA service charge” in addition to the price of the items and sales tax. “We have frequented the establishment several times and never had any surcharge that was associated with any organization that was in town.”
This “Black tax” is the kind of systemic racism that plagues the Black community across the country and shows up incrementally on occasions where African-Americans are gathered in large numbers.
