Burger King is feeling the heat after a worker turned up to her drive-thru shift in Blackface.
The employee tells a shocked customer it is ok to paint her face black because she had ‘a good heart’ in a viral video seen 200,000 times on Facebook alone.
The worker told shocked customer Shavelle Devine, ‘I just wanted to be Black’ after she was confronted at the window.
‘I just asked this lady what she was today,’ Devine said in her video, showing the employee wearing Blackface.
‘Can you tell them what you told me?’
‘I’m just Black today,’ the employee replied before adding it was ok because she ‘had a good heart’.
‘And so your intentions is good?’ Devine asked, with the worker nodding.
The customer then asked if the employee was supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
‘Well, no, I just wanted to be Black,’ the employee said.
‘Why would you want to be Black? Do you know the struggles that we go through as Black people?’ Devine asked.
‘Sorry, you’re making me laugh, sorry, no, yes I do. Or I mean, no, I don’t. No, I don’t,’ the employee replied.
Devine said she felt ‘disappointment, frustration, and concern’ following the altercation.
‘I find this behavior completely unacceptable, offensive, and disrespectful,’ she said.
‘African Americans should not have to continuously explain why racism is offensive or why certain actions are unacceptable. We should not have to minimise our feelings, overlook disrespect, or accept racial humiliation for the comfort or amusement of others.’
‘Rather than recognising the seriousness and offensiveness of the situation, their reactions seemed more like a joke,’ she said.
‘That response sends a troubling message that racial insensitivity is something to laugh about rather than something that deserves immediate attention and accountability.
‘As a major national business, Burger King has a responsibility to create an environment where customers and employees of every racial background feel respected, valued, and safe.’
‘We are aware of the video and take the matter very seriously,’ a Burger King spokesperson said.
‘The Franchisee of this location is addressing the situation with his team, manager, and Team Member to ensure everyone involved understands why this is not acceptable and won’t happen again.’