Chris Rock’s mother claims discrimination

Myrtle Beach, S.C. – A problem during a shift change, not racial bias, was the reason Rose Rock was not served in May at the Murrells Inlet, S.C., location of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, said officials with the restaurant chain on Wednesday.

A press conference in the parking lot of the Murrells Inlet restaurant drew The Rev. Al Sharpton, Rock and officials from the Lebanon, Tenn.-based restaurant.

Rock and restaurant official Diana Wynne offered different versions of what caused Rock and her 21-year-old daughter, Andi Rock, to leave the restaurant May 16 without receiving service.

Rock, the mother of comedian Chris Rock, owns a home in Georgetown, S.C., and is the host of a local radio show.

Wynne, vice president of corporate affairs for Cracker Barrel, said Rock was a regular customer at the Murrells Inlet restaurant before May 16, when the incident at issue occurred.

Rock visited the restaurant around 4:30 p.m., during the shift change, Wynne said. By mistake, Rock’s table was not assigned a server, she said.

Rock said she and her daughter sat for 30 minutes before noticing other people receiving iced tea and menus.

“It’s hard to miss two black people in a sea of white folks,” Rock said. “We stick out.”

Stevie Wonder honored

Memphis, Tenn. – Stevie Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum, then segued from his acceptance speech into a medley of his songs that included “My Cherie Amour” and “I Wish.”

Playing an electronic keyboard, Wonder, 56, told an audience of about 5,000 that music is a gift he can share, challenging Memphis and the world to “use the gifts God has given us to help those less fortunate.”

“You must use your eyes, voices, ears. Tomorrow is never promised to any of us. You must be the best you can be right now,” he said.

Clean water campaign

Los Angeles – Matt Damon went to the Sahara to scout locations for a movie about long-distance runners. But when he got there, he took on another project: helping bring clean water to Africa.

Damon and the production team behind the upcoming documentary “Running the Sahara” created a charity to accompany their filmmaking expedition in Africa, which gets under way this month.

H2OAfrica aims to raise awareness about Africa’s water needs and support clean-water programs.

“Running the Sahara” is a documentary that will follow three ultra-marathoners as they attempt to become the first people to run across the Sahara, which spans six countries. Damon, 36, will narrate the film.