[Ads-l] Another faux etymology for "Black Friday" (day after Thanksgiving)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

I see that a recently offered explanation for where the "Black" in
"Black Friday" comes from has become quite popular, at least on
Twitter and Facebook.

This version holds that "Black Friday" stems from the selling of
(black) slaves the day after Thanksgiving.

David Mikkelson, of snopes.com, addressed this last year when it first
arrived to his inbox.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/blackfriday.asp

This piece of etymythology seems to have gained considerable traction
this year (at least on Twitter and Facebook), its credibility perhaps
aided by outrage toward recent grand-jury findings in Ferguson,
Missouri.

It's been interesting to read conversations on Twitter where someone
repeats this particular explanation and is corrected, so to speak, by
someone offering the (also false) "red ink to black ink" accounting
origin story.

-- Bonnie

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