#Lowe’s employee ordered to change ‘Black Panther Wakanda Forever’ shirt

A teen employee at a Washington Lowe’s said he was forced to change out of his shirt reading “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” after a customer complained it was racist.

A supervisor gave the employee a dressing down over the shirt last weekend in the chain’s Bonney Lake location, ordering him to either buy a new shirt or go home and change, the employee, Kyle Sales, told the local CBS affiliate.

“She goes, ‘A customer said your shirt is offensive and racist,’” Sales said. “This is from a movie. How is this racist?”

Sales was furious, but ultimately decided to put on a sports jersey over the superhero shirt to hide its wording.

“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.”

The female customer who complained wasn’t ready to drop the issue, either. She apparently returned the next day to ask whether Sales was reprimanded for the shirt, Sales had reportedly heard from a friend.

“She came in throwing a fit saying, ‘What happened to that kid; what was his punishment?’” he said.

Sales had only begun working at the hardware store several months ago. He recently graduated high school and took the job to save up money for when he begins college at Washington State University next semester, the station reported.

The shirt snafu reminded Sales, who is black, of discrimination he faced in high school and at previous jobs, he said. Kids called him the N-word in school and that a manager at a prior gig referred to him as a “colored boy,” he went on.

Sales’ mother, Kimberly, described the incident as “pure, unadulterated discrimination” and added that the company owes Kyle “more than an apology.”

Lowe’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the hardware chain told the outlet that it had apologized to Sales.

“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.

“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.”