Lowe’s has released an apology after a Black employee was told to change out a “Black Panther” shirt because a customer alleged it was racist. Kyle Sales was sporting the shirt that read “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” last weekend while working at a store in Bonney Lake, Washington the manager pulled him aside asking him to change.
“She goes, ‘a customer said your shirt is offensive and racist,’” the teen told KIRO. “This is from a movie. How is this racist?”
Sales were outraged but decided to go home and put a jersey on to cover the shirt.
“I was very angry. It just did not seem fair in light of all of the things that are happening in our in the world right now,” he said. “This isn’t racist. I shouldn’t be punished for a T-shirt from a movie.”
Sales co-worker told him the customer came back the next to see if he had been punished for wearing the shirt.
“She came in throwing a fit saying, ‘What happened to that kid — What was his punishment?’” Sales said. Lowe’s released a statement on the incident.
“Mr. Sales should never have been asked to change his shirt, and we have apologized to him directly. 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,” the statement read. “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.”
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