Last May, Oakland resident Jennifer Schulte was dubbed “BBQ Becky” after video of her calling police on two black families for using charcoal grills in a park went viral. The incident sparked conversation about the phenomenon of white people calling the police on Black people over interpersonal run-ins that are observably less dangerous than how they describe them to 911 dispatchers.
Those conversations have only intensified in the weeks since the infamous BBQ Becky. The hashtags #BBQingWhileBlack and #CookingOutWhileBlack have been used to call attention to similar incidents. And a picture of a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Schulte has been Photoshopped into various black history moments, from MLK’s I Have a Dream speech to the Black Panther movie premiere.
It’s become a regular feature on social media, one that has spurred conversation and anger over how the resemblance has been used. But even if a woman really does bear a striking resemblance to Schulte, that doesn’t necessarily mean that she is BBQ Becky. The truth is, the term “BBQ” actually refers to a type of cooking method. Grilling involves heating food over high heat for short periods of time, while smoking involves slow cooking with indirect heat.
And even if Schulte does indeed resemble the picture, she wouldn’t be able to cook burgers and chicken over a grill that’s not plugged in or using propane gas. That’s because you have to have the right equipment to do a barbecue, and you can’t use just any old grill.
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