318 Restaurant Week, a week-long culinary project of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, will return March 15-20. This event consists of six days of deals at Shreveport-Bossier eateries, offering dining patrons $10 lunch specials, $20 dinner specials, and various dining experiences at participating restaurants.

The list is being promoted by the tourist bureau, which is funded by hotel occupancy taxes. The restaurants have nothing in common other than the race of the owners. Color me surprised, because I thought this would be considered racism of the highest order in these days of pleas for equality, integration and diversity.

“Our community is home to many outstanding, black-owned food businesses, many of which are also family-owned small businesses,” said Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.