A Michigan bank CEO has been forced out after a family photo featuring “Lake America” sweatshirts went viral and sparked a backlash.
Jane Smith, chief executive of Family First Credit Union, is no longer with the company after the image drew criticism online and in Canada.
The photo showed Smith and three relatives wearing navy-blue sweatshirts emblazoned with the words “Lake America” in white.
Smith told Michigan outlet WJRT that the sweatshirts were digitally added to the family photo using ChatGPT.
“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith said. “However, we were kind of poking fun at the fact that one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed.”
The family had taken the photo before leaving Michigan on Sept. 11 for a 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The idea came after Smith and her family discussed President Donald Trump’s push to rename Lake Ontario.
The image went viral. And the backlash followed.
Family First Credit Union announced Wednesday that Smith was no longer with the company. Jason Acosta, the credit union’s chief operations officer, was named interim CEO.
“We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community,” the credit union said in a Facebook statement.
The company said it understood that members could have different perspectives on the controversy, but emphasized its responsibility to protect the trust of its members and put the community first.
Smith said she understood why people in Halifax could have been offended by the image.
“I understand if I was someone in Halifax and I thought a poor group of people walked in wearing those sweatshirts, it is highly offensive and I would understand why they would be so angry,” she told WJRT.
But Smith said the family never intended to insult Canadians.
“We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts,” she said.
The controversy nevertheless became serious enough that Smith said her family cut its Canadian trip short after she began receiving nasty messages.
“I am not a person that would ever want to offend or hurt anybody,” Smith said. “I do regret having any post that would make someone feel like we don’t value them as human beings.”
The entire episode stems from Trump’s controversial effort to rename Lake Ontario as part of a broader push to change the names of geographic landmarks.
Trump has also promoted the name “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico, another move that has generated significant controversy.
The naming dispute has even spilled into technology. Google and Apple have faced criticism over how their mapping applications display disputed geographic names, with the labels varying depending on users’ locations.
But for Smith, the controversy became much more personal.
The viral photo turned into a backlash.
And the backlash ultimately cost her the top job at a Michigan credit union.
