A restaurant worker whose blackface costume sparked a protest in St. Augustine says she will not apologize.
The woman says she painted her face black as part of an 'Aunt Jemima' costume she wore to The Bunnery Bakery & Cafe on Halloween.
Students at Flagler College took offense to the costume and organized a protest outside the restaurant.
An owner of the cafe on St. George Street spoke to a crowd outside the restaurant.
She said the worker washed the makeup off her face after a confrontation with Flagler students at the bakery.
She said the employee did not mean to offend anyone.
The woman accused of wearing the costume sent Action News Jax a statement:
"It was a genuine costume, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Color is not something that exists in my life. I come from a very colorful family and I love all the same. I will not apologize for my costume, there was nothing wrong with my actions in the choice of my costume. I don't understand how this turned into a racial thing. Black face is not something I expected with trying to just dress up for my job on Halloween. Instead of protesting something that is not affecting people directly, why don't we worry about the real issues and not ones that don't matter."
The group of students gathered outside the restaurant in protest holding signs and chanting, "Blackface is not OK."
One woman's sign said, "If you aren't angry, you aren't paying attention."
Several people posted about the blackface costume on social media.
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