Brave waitress Gennica Cochran had absolutely zero tolerance for an angry man yelling terrible things at an Asian family enjoying a birthday dinner. She promptly stepped in and kicked him out. And by standing up to racism, she not only earned the gratitude of the family but also from strangers all over the world who saw the video footage online!
The standoff seems like something from a hidden camera show. But what happened at the restaurant at the Bernardus Lodge & Spa, near San Francisco, is completely real.
Raymond Orosa was celebrating his wife's birthday with a family dinner at the restaurant. As they sang "Happy Birthday", a man seated nearby started hurling racist remarks at them.
“He was full of hate and anger,” Raymond said. “It’s sad that there are still people that are like that in this world, let alone in this country.”
Raymond's niece wisely pulled out her cell phone and started filming the angry man yelling at them. But it took no time before waitress Gennica Cochran jumped to the family's defense.
Gennica wasn't even the server waiting on Raymond's family. She just happened to overhear the awful insults and knew she had to act.
"I felt very protective of them," she said. "I'm not a mother, but I felt almost maternal. Right, like this is my family and I will take care of them and I will do whatever I can to protect these people. To have someone hate you just because of the way that you look, that's beyond me. I don't understand it."
Gennica boldly told the man to leave the restaurant and never come back.
The footage of the angry man yelling made it online and even his own mom couldn't believe the words coming out of her son's mouth.
"We are completely devastated and appalled by his behavior," she said.
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The man eventually issued an apology but we can only hope and pray he truly has a change of heart.
As for Gennica Cochran, Raymond Orosa and his family deeply appreciated the way she stepped in for them.
"I can't thank her enough," Raymond said. "We should have a lot more people like her."
Those who saw the footage online felt the same way. The brave waitress who shut down the angry man yelling racist insults even received a shout out from Christian celebrity Kelly Clarkson.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH to this woman for speaking up and throwing this trash out!” Clarkson tweeted. “Keep calling hate out! It’s unacceptable, ignorant, and disgusting!”
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Thousands even contributed to a Go Fund Me campaign aimed at thanking the heroic waitress with "tips."
"As much as it’s satisfying to drag the man who did this to that family, it’s even more satisfying when we lift up the people who stand up to defend those who are on the receiving end of such racism," wrote the man who started the campaign to reward Gennica. "We want to show our appreciation for the everyday heroes that are doing what they can to make the world a better place for those who deal with racism in all forms on a near-daily basis."
To date, the page has already raised over $91,000!
But for Gennica Cochran, standing up to the angry man yelling was never about getting praise or tips.
"To hear the emotion coming out of my voice, to see my mannerisms, it was unbelievable. It was just something that came over me and I just did what needed to be done," she explained.
Gennica is hoping the story will help encourage others to tip their servers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But she's also hoping it inspires everyone to speak up when they witness persecution.
"If you see something do something," Gennica Cochran says. "Stand up against racism and hatred in any form any time you can."
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Kudos to this brave waitress for having the courage to do what was right!
"And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said. For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged." Matthew 12: 36-37
h/t: Upworthy
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!