Lowe's employee forced to change 'Black Panther' shirt after customer complained it was 'racist'
Lowe's admitted the teen should not have been asked to change
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lowe’s has apologized after a teen employee claimed he was ordered to change his “Black Panther” shirt because a customer complained that it was racist.
Kyle Sales was working at the Bonney Lake, Wash., Lowe’s last weekend when he said a woman came in and complained to his supervisor about his shirt, which featured the phrase “Wakanda Forever,” a saying used in the superhero movie.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“She goes, ‘A customer said your shirt is offensive and racist,’” Sales, who is Black, said to KIRO7, quoting his supervisor. “This is from a movie. How is this racist?”
Sales claims he was given an ultimatum to either go home and change or buy a new shirt to put over his existing one. Though angry by the situation, the employee, who had only been working there for a few months to save money for college in the fall, decided to put a sports jersey on, the local outlet reported.
While Sales complied with the request, the customer was apparently not happy and demanded to know what punishment he had received.
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According to Sales, the woman came in the next day “throwing a fit” and asking, “What happened to that kid; what was his punishment?”
Chadwick Boseman, who plays the main character in "Black Panther," shows off the "Wakanda Forever" greeting. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Sales said he was angry at the incident and was reminded of other racist encounters he has had in his community with people calling him the N-word.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His mother was also disappointed in the response from Lowe’s, calling the matter “unadulterated discrimination” aimed at her son.
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Lowe’s said in a statement to Fox News that the hardware store had apologized to Sales, and said the teenager should not have been asked to change in the first place.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Mr. Sales should never have been asked to change his shirt, and we have apologized to him directly,” a Lowe’s spokesperson said. “We know this is a teachable moment, and we will take action to coach and train the managers at the store to help prevent this from happening again."
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“Diversity and inclusion are important to our culture at Lowe’s, and we remain committed to fostering an environment where all individuals are safe, treated fairly, valued and respected.”