Ellen Christy Brooklyn Midwife invitation to Bunco Club leads to outrage on FB amid allegations of colonial violence and white domination

Bunco began in working-class England in the 19th century, where it was known as ‘eight dice cloth’, according to the World Bunco Association (WBA).

It was brought to the US in 1855 by a gambler who traveled to San Francisco and California gold fields during the Gold Rush.

The game spread across the US after the civil war, and it is now known as a ‘traditional family or parlor game, promoting social interaction,’ according to the WBA.

Chrissy’s post did not say there were any requirements to join her club and linked to an online form with questions including ‘Do you live in Bed Stuy?’ and ‘Why do you want to join this club?’

The form also asked for social media links, but this came with the caveat: ‘Only if you’re comfortable’.

Despite this seemingly friendly approach, several of Christy’s neighbors went as far as to suggest that her motives were nefarious and potentially deadly. 

Ellen Christy Brooklyn Midwife invitation to Bunco Club Facebook post leads to moral outrage.

‘Posting that in this group was already an act of violence. I would have not a trace of reason to believe that a whites-only club in Bed-Stuy would be a safe and welcoming space to anyone not white,’ one person wrote.

Another person also compared the board game group to ‘the story of the African American woman who mysteriously died while attending a slumber party with her all white friend group’.

The original poster, Janessa Wilson, agreed, writing: ‘No one who isn’t “them” is safe’.  

Most of the people raging against Christy have their identities hidden, with their profile pictures instead showing figures including Martin Luther King, Luigi Mangione and Palestine banners.

Christy is a midwife at a medical center serving the traditionally black neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens.