A Michigan bar owner and his staff reportedly gave a biracial employee a watermelon for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. After the employee’s mom, Kelly Martin Aimery, fired back at the racist notion, the owner issued a statement on Facebook, claiming the “gift” was a “friendly joke.”

The Michigan mom shared photos of the watermelon given to her daughter on Facebook last Saturday with "happy 1/2 MLK" and "happy black day" scribbled in black marker.

On Monday, Rob Hearit, owner of Darbs Tavern & Eatery in Mason, Michigan, issued a statement addressing the incident on Facebook. Hearit wrote that he took full responsibility for the incident, referring to the black employee who received the watermelon as "a wonderful minority employee."Hearit added he and the staff members will undergo mandatory diversity and sensitivity training as a result of the incident.