As we discussed yesterday, Zendaya Coleman got on Snapchat on Tuesday and accused a Vons clerk of racial discrimination. Well… maybe “discrimination” is the wrong word to use, but Zendaya and her friend did say outright that they felt they had been mistreated based on their skin color. Zendaya was trying to buy $400 worth of gift cards at Vons and she said the Vons clerk told her that she couldn’t afford the purchase, and that the clerk threw her wallet back at her.
Hours after Zendaya’s Snapchats got widespread coverage, TMZ spoke to a Vons rep who insisted that there’s merely a limit to how much can be charged on one’s credit card when buying gift cards (which is something I theorized about in my post). The rep also insisted that the Vons manager allowed Zendaya to make her purchase. Vons later released an official statement about the incident:
“At Vons, we strive to treat each and every customer with the utmost respect. There is a policy that limits gift card purchases using a credit card. Zendaya was able to purchase gift cards up to our limit, and we apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding.”
“We respect Zendaya’s voice in the community and similarly are committed to diversity and inclusion. Moreover, we understand that race is a sensitive issue in America and view this experience as a reminder that every interaction is an opportunity to treat each customer as we ourselves would like to be treated.”
My thing is that none of this is a concrete denial that a Vons clerk was rude to Zendaya, and that the alleged rudeness was possibly because of her race. I get that there could have been a misunderstanding about what can be charged and the limits of what you can put on a gift card – I’ve dealt with that in stores too, and it’s a pain in the ass, and I felt (at the time) that the rules were arbitrary and stupid. But Zendaya’s complaint wasn’t just about a misunderstanding about the rules of gift cards. She and her friend said outright that the clerk was rude because of their race. And I tend to believe them.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Ummm… “a limit you can purchase on a credit card” DOES NOT EQUAL “you can’t afford this purchase”. So that excuse doesn’t fit.
And throwing the wallet back at the customer? That’s not only a corporate apology, that’s someone getting fired. Unless customer service has changed since I’ve been in the game.
The clerk never told her she couldn’t afford it. The end of that sentence is, “was how she looked at me.” That’s the vibe she got from the clerk.
And she was like, “You can’t afford this stuff” was how she looked at me.
That’s interesting and an important part of the story. Why was it omitted? I wish more of that was reported as well.
This bothered me in yesterday & today’s post. I only watched the video once but I clearly heard her say that it was how the cashier was, not that the cashier said that she couldn’t afford it but that Z felt it was insinuated.
The only story part of this non-story is the public’s odd fascination with denying a possible racist interaction and picking this story apart. Watching white people (and others) decide what they would take as racist, how they would feel as a young black woman growing up in America and what must have happened is really uncomfortable. I am assuming Zendaya knows more about the situation and growing up with discrimination then I do (white lady here) and I could learn something from her.
@ mc2
This! I’m white too, how would I know? That would be like me trying to coach a NFL football player on the rules of the game.
Yes, this. Zendaya FELT that the clerk was thinking they couldn’t afford it. And I still don’t get why the clerk would have her wallet to throw it back at her?
Repeating what Jayna said the clerk didn’t say she couldn’t afford it. In the snapchat Zendaya said the clerk looked at her like she couldn’t afford it. Those are 2 different things.
Yeah and that hasn’t be emphasized enough. The clerk probably looked at her like that because of her age, not her race, but that is what I’m presuming based on my experience working in retail. Large gift card purchases are treated suspiciously in retail, especially if you are a young adult.
Well I worked at a grocery store and we profiled based on age and race.
That’s called “projecting.” If someone treats me a certain way and they don’t tell me why they are treating me that way, I project my own interpretation of what the other person is thinking.
Sometimes it’s accurate, sometimes not.
There are always 2 versions of any story and I am not buying Zendaya’s. I used to work retail and I worked with a looooooot of people who were rude and dismissive regardless of the gender/race or nationality of the customer. I think Zendaya is really good at the “I am (half) black and I get discriminated all the time”
Well we don’t know.But I know Zendaya has been in the public eye since 2010.I am not aware of her making accusations like this before despite the fact I am sure she shops a lot and has had hundreds of encounters with service workers.I have never heard any stories about her being rude.
I am curious do you refer to President Obama,Halle Berry,Alicia Keyes,etc. as (half) black when they discuss discrimination? Since they all identity as Black, like Zendaya does ,despite all having white mothers.
“I think Zendaya is really good at the “I am (half) black and I get discriminated all the time””
maybe she’s “good at it” because she LIVES IT EVERYDAY.
Zendaya probably got “really good at the ‘I am (half) black and I get discriminated all the time'” because she probably does get discriminated against all the time…..
I am a white South American with a thick spanish accent and I live in Florida, believe me, I know discrimination. My daughters watch her in the Disney channel and with her makeup to make her skin look lighter than what it is, contouring of the nose and the glossy straight hair extensions: you couldn’t tell she is half black. When she wants to appeal to certain demographics she looks more Caucasian. Just saying
@Ericka
I hope you take this without offense, and try to understand how insulting aspects of your post are.
There’s a really unfortunate micro-aggressive trend where some whites think they’re being cute by pointing out the parentage of identifiably ‘black’ people to demean/denigrate/lessen their viewpoint on racism. I’ve noticed some dismissive white people on certain boards even harkening back to the old antiquated slave term ‘mulatto.’ How brazen and nasty.
Like ‘half black’ Obama, Hallie Berry, Colin Kaepernick, Lenny Kravitz and Zendaya need to be reminded that their views on race and racism aren’t as legit because they have white fathers or white mothers.
Lately it seems there’s this group of alt-righters who resent black people seeking social justice and use their lineage to try and disqualify them.
Logic fail.
This is America. We identify, describe and judge people based on looks and what we SEE. In the case of Zendaya her parentage is irrelevant to the conversation. No one knows her bank balance or education level when looking at her, they do know she’s not white.
Lenny Kravitz’s white Dad isn’t gonna stop him from getting racially profiled anymore than Will Smith before they both got famous.
So please stop with the, ‘You’re halfsies so you can’t complain,’ passive aggressiveness. It’s rude and dismissive.
@ Ericka
Why would she try to look more white? Do you get treated better if you look white? Hmmmm. So rude, even if she does try to look more white, can ya blame her? Who wants to be treated like s$it because of your race?
Ericka, I’ve seen pieces of her Disney show and yes, you can tell she is multiracial.
stop trying so hard.
almondmilk, you make a great point…this “you’re only half, what would YOU know?” crap is insulting. we’ve seen how our current prez, who is multiracial, gets treated by some GOPer and others on the conservative side. they have NO PROBLEM classifying him as black.
@ericka
Just read your post responding to someone wake regarding your “Zendaya’s really good at the ‘I am (half) black and I get discriminated all the time,’ comment.
Now I have even more to say, based on your post.
Zendaya looks African American period.
I dont care how much nose contour or straight extensions she wears- also black people tan and lighten up just like our euro counterparts, doesn’t mean we’re wearing makeup to ‘lighten our skin.’
Looking ‘more caucasian,’ in Latin America might net you some perks, but here in America, it has historically been irrelevant. For example, many of the founders of our historically black institutions you probably would have called ‘white’ in your country, while here in America they would have been relegated to the back of the bus or told they couldn’t sit at lunch counters. Bottom line is, they (and possibly you)would not have been considered ‘white.’ I realize that may irk a lot of South Americans such as yourself who were “white” back at home, but maybe not so much here in the USA.
I’m sure if my mom did a cheek swab she’d probably have less than 20% African DNA, howeverher community was black, she was a black woman and that didn’t stop someone telling her she couldn’t be a stewardess back in the 50s or try on dresses in Kentucky department stores. If she was in Cuba or Columbia or Argentina she would have been seen as ‘white,’ but that’s not what she was seen as, not who she was culturally. and not who she wanted to be. She’s a proud African American woman despite all the other euro admixture that she doesn’t ID with, and that BY THE WAY wouldn’t claim the African part of her.
My first real boyfriend at 18 was Swedish and Jamaican. He, his sister, and brother. I saw them discriminated against daily from Savannah, GA to where they are from in Brooklyn.
My father is half black, my mother is white. Therefore I am a quarter black. Honestly, I identify as white. I have olive skin and features that make me look exotic (I get asked what I am all the time) but I feel like I would be laughed out of the room if I said I was black. I strongly identify with social issues facing black Americans since my father and many of my friends and family are black and would be automatically profiled as such.
Zendaya looks black or mixed race to me and it would be very hard for her to convince anyone otherwise, make up and hair or not. Being mixed race is a huge, huge identity struggle for me. I do sometimes feel like black women only want to bring me in the conversation for issues like this, but then denigrate my father for marrying a white woman and not staying true to the struggle. I don’t think I’ve ever discussed it on here because it’s a sore subject.
I think Zendaya could have been smug or snotty, but that doesn’t mean that the cashier didn’t also racially profile her. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
@ogbb
How did we go from some whites not recognizing that some blacks know racism when they encounter it….to you complaining about how black people (and you specify black women) treat you?
Looks like special snowflake Lena has company.
First, let me say… #notallblackwomen
I’ve been black all my life, and I’ve never had the audacity, desire or need to tell someone else who their mate should be based on racial classification. That’s gross. What’s more I know many black women, friends and family (some, with their own white bfs/husbands) – and they don’t do that either! Just going through my mental rolodex – most black people I know have white, biacial and multiracial people in their family.
In short, who in heck are these people?! Are you trapped in an alternate reality of the Spike Lee movie School Daze? Where there are these cartoonish militant black women characters that hate white people? Or interracial relationships? Because this is so not reality to me. .
Lastly, why the identity struggle? Just curious. Your situation is not unique or unusual. What makes your identity a struggle then if you know your background? Is it that you want to ID as white but feel guilty – like you’re rejecting your Dad? Don’t. Do what you feel. No one cares. My guess is if you get asked what you are its because you may kinda look black and people want to know (I have a friend who is German and Italian, and she never gets asked what she is.. Ya feel me?)
But whatever. Say what you want.
@almondmilk it is not just whites who tell mixed race people “how would you know?” I’m 1/2 native and the racial gate keeping from some in the native community is awful. I’ve been called a “macintosh bitch” (red outside, white inside) by a member of my own family. It is particularly bad from native women. My mother is white and the fact that my father chose a white women is threatening to them. I’m not native enough for some natives and white people let me know regularly that I’m definitely not white. (if I had a nickel for every time I’ve been asked “what are you?” by a white person…….) So I belong no where. Maybe that’s where ogbb’s struggle comes from.
I suspect there was some rude behavior on the part of both of them due to the misunderstanding. Perhaps the clerk was rude in how she told Zendaya about the limit and Zendaya was rude in responding to being told she could not purchase $400 worth of gift cards.
Either Zendaya asked for a manager, or the clerk called her manager to handle the transaction.
Does this clerk have a history of problems with POC? If so, then she should be fired.
i believe this happened and i’m glad they swiftly apologized and acknowledged her voice in the community, i hope that employee is dealt with further
as an aside – this girl has the BEST pr team in the fricken business. she was on disney channel and (per wikipedia) shes also a singer. so far, that’s it! her big projects are in pre/post production and haven’t been released yet. but is *always* on a big red carpet and getting coverage by mainstream celeb gossip sites/shows. in no way demeaning her – i’m glad there is someone her age who is unafraid to discuss big issues in an intelligent way beyond her years, and i think she has a huge career ahead. i finally had to peep her IMDB to see if i missed a big project of hers to explain her rise to mainstream fame to confirm her spiderman/other projects haven’t been released, but we are already talking about her on the reg and all seem to think she’s amazing.
tl/dr: her team is on.point.
Backhand compliment?
I don’t think it is. Having a good PR team is an asset to one’s career in Hollywood.
what @pri said – not at all meaning it as a backhanded compliment! everything i’ve seen about her makes me think she’s wonderful. she is an intelligent young woman and i applaud her interest in engaging in serious issues, that she is not afraid of being adventurous with fashion, and she’s beautiful!
i only know about her because i read this blog and remember the fashion police controversy, though. i haven’t seen any of her work yet. i’m excited to see her career take off and see her in movies, but i just haven’t yet – so i think her PR team deserves praise for her mainstream celebrity status/name recognition even before her adult (struggling to find the right word – i dont mean adult films!! just … not disney) movies are released.
I went into a store myself to buy a purse awhile back, and was looking to spend some cash. As soon as I entered the store an associate was on me. I told her that I was just looking and still deciding. Not even 30 seconds later someone else came over and ask a stupid question that you cannot provide an answer to. She called herself pissef at me so I walked out the door. I use to work retail and I knew the tricks that were used when POC came into a store, so that is what they were doing and purposely making me feel uncomfortable so I would leave. So I did. Why would I spend money in your store to prove a point. Sometimes you just have to walk away.
I went to their competitor, had a great experience and threw my money at them.
Damn, that sucks. I think I would have pulled a Mrs. Walsh from 90210 on them. Picked out a LOT of expensive items to purchase, work the salespeople HARD, and then, when checking out?
“change your mind” about the items and tell them you decided NOT to purchase anything because of how you were initially treated – like a criminal. and add that you’re going across the street (or wherever) to their competitor to make the purchase.
unpopular opinion: she seems smug
and i still don’t get why the clerk had her wallet in the first place
I know I have a habit of putting my wallet on the counter at checkout. Her wallet could have been there and the associate pushed it.
It’s not an unpopular opinion.. And maybe she IS smug. Still doesn’t excuse the way she was treated or the way POC in general are treated at certain stores.
People have been saying over and over myself included. The cashier probably had Zendayas wallet to check her ID/license with her credit/debit card, it happens all the time.
@Flowerchild
This is true. I was thinking about that yesterday and you are totally right, so I apologise if I was offensive. I can’t think of how many elderly people do that and when they ask you to write a check. I felt like I had no choice!
Agree with you…I think she blew it way up. I feel like it was just your standard rude grocery store employee…this girl always has someone mistreating her because of her race, she barely even looks black. Maybe the store clerk was having a shitty day, it was probably more about age than race. I’ve been treated like this many times in a store and I’m as white as you get.
Yes because light skin POC never experience racism??? O that’s right you wouldn’t know now would you.
Until you spent a day as a POC please sit down and not us when we experience racism.
“this girl always has someone mistreating her because of her race, she barely even looks black.”
how enlightened of you.
she doesn’t “always” have someone mistreating her. (funny, I’ve found that people who say things like this, that is – complaining that people cry “racism!” too often – have NO IDEA how often racism, subtle or not, actually happens.) she simply speaks out when she DOES get mistreated. whether it was a rude comment on her locks or not thinking she has money to pay for something, she is absolutely entitled to speak out when someone says something about her. and if, while speaking out against personal mistreatment, she brings about a bigger convo about how black people are sometimes treated, I say, GO ON GIRL.
as for her “barely looking black”…girl bye.
Not today. I see something like this everytime I come back to this site. I’m out ✌🏾️
Just because she doesn’t look black enough for you doesn’t mean she’s never experienced racism. She’s mixed but she identifies as black, and her looks are leaning more to her black side anyway. It’s wrong to dismiss people of mixed descendants like they’re a watered-down version of their race.
She. Barely. Looks….. OMG I can’t f*cking deal with ya’ll… I CANNOT even Think real hard about the stupid stuff you just said and if you feel confident to go tell that to a light skinned black/brown person in the face GO WITH IT…report back on the slap you get
It doesn’t matter if she barely looks black.She sure as Hell doesn’t look White.Do you think people “who look black” are the only ones who face discrimination?
I’m pretty sure if you’re going around like, “standard rude grocery store employee”, then you’re getting what you’ve earned for yourself there, MISSY.
How would you know if it’s a racist incident? Are you a POC? Cause if you’re not, how would you know? You don’t get discriminated against on basis of your race. So you have no experience in that area. Maybe you should let the people who have expertise in that area have the floor. Btw, my husband is “barely black” and he gets the ” full black treatment.” I’m white and the difference in the way we are treated is astounding. Maybe you should examine why you are so eager to dismiss it as not being a racist incident.
I still think it wasn’t a matter of racism but rather jealousy. As I said yesterday my face would go all “Selena Gomez smiling through the tears” if Zendaya came up to my register. The girl is drop dead gorgeous, she has money and poise, she’s classy etc. I can easily see some clerk being jealous. Some people are nasty when they’re jealous.
On yesterday’s post countless commenterss explained how likely it was that the salesclerk had Zendaya’s wallet. So since there is no information deficit to justify your doubt just be honest enough to say you don’t believe her and call it a day. And if she won the Miss Smug crown in the modt irritating actress competition what would that have to do with racism? She asked for it? She deserved it?
When women are confident or self-satisfied, sometimes that gets called smug.
Yes, especially if they are pretty.
@Snowflake
Yep, you are 100% and she is beautiful. that last picture, I thought, damn.
This sounds to me like a spoiled celebrity who argued with a cashier because she wanted special treatment and didn’t get it. (Until the manager came over and gave in.)
I really doubt the cashier would have given a shit about what Zendaya can afford or not afford if Zendaya were trying to purchase the $200 worth of cards that the store allowed.
Zendaya has used social media to address issues in a positive way in the past and has gotten a lot of praise for that, but celebrities in general need to avoid running to social media to vent their grievances every time they fail to get their ass kissed out in the real world.
What ??? I can’t I just can’t 😩😩😩
Yeah,”Don’t Speak Up,Zendaya”
SMH
Huh… Or maybe she was treated badly….
I think her age also played into this. When I was younger sales people often followed me around like I was going to steal something and often didn’t treat me well.
Yes, I was going to comment on that today. The sales clerk did not say “you can’t afford this,” but simply gave her a look. That look could be because Zendaya is young or because of her race, or both. I think this is being blown a little out of proportion because I worked in retail as a sales clerk and we were basically told to be wary of large gift cards purchases from ANYONE, but it is especially suspicious when it comes from a young person because it is less likely they would have that kind of money. So, because of that I’m inclined to believe it is less about race and more about age. Also, yesterday I had my doubts about the wallet tossing/throwing incident, but after reading replies, I can believe that she handed the clerk her wallet to show her ID. A clerk tossing (or throwing) a wallet is beyond rude and inappropriate and deserves disciplinary action.
Don’t think it’s about race.
It’s about being paid minimum wage, to work a retail job, where you have to follow ridiculous rules that you didn’t even set up, someone comes in and wants to buy something your manager hounded you you have to be really strict about selling.
When I worked retail I too didn’t trust young women of any race for large purchases. Even girls that looked like they had money got a thrill out of doing dubious things. The public is such a pain in the ass to work with if you work at Vons.
Zendaya doesn’t know if it was because of her race and is just making that assumption. And to be fair everyone is projecting their experiences onto her situation. Just like I am–because I can so relate more to the cashier having worked retail in LA and knowing how entitled actors in LA can be.
BTW I am a POC.
I just commented about this above! I also don’t think it’s about race, but if you are mistreated because of your skin color then I can understanding assuming that’s the reason why the cashier is side eyeing you. However, I also worked in retail and as you said, it is retail protocol to be wary of large purchases, especiallyyyy large gift card purchases. That being said, the cashier should have politely handed the wallet back to her.
Alot of customers think you are out to persecute them when you are not. I’ve had customers throw stuff at me, accuse me of racism, scream at me, etc. Not uncommon if you worked retail.
I’ve also had sales clerks be rude a.f., act like I couldn’t afford something, etc.
Just from my own limited personal experience I don’t think it’s about race though. More about doing what your manager probably told you to do and a customer being unhappy.
Why are large purchases of gift cards frowned upon? I don’t understand the problem. Won’t the gift cards be used at that store?
There is a lot of fraud surrounding gift cards
Also Zendaya probably wasn’t buying gift cards for the grocery store.I buy gift cards for restaurants at my neighborhood grocery store because I receive fuel points.So I can save on gas.
I am a jeans and t-shirt wearing person. I was snubbed (doubtless because of the way I was dressed) at Saks one day. After assisting 3 women who arrived at the counter after me, I finally got the notice of the sales clerk. When she asked if she could help me I politely asked for a manager. When the manager arrived I explained Economics 101 to both of them…”I am profit – you are overhead”. I make the money for the store – you cost the store money. I then purchased a Chloe bag for $2,000+ with cash and then I went to Customer Service and returned the bag and told them the story. Saks employees get commissions on sales (at least they did at that time). I wanted them to think of that check and then not get it along with perhaps a little “schooling”.
Good on you! I’ve had to do something similar after a particularly daunting experience at a luxury store and I made sure to explain in full why they were not getting the money they could have been.
Had a similar experience at SAKS. Went to buy a handbag. A salesperson approached me, insinuated I couldn’t afford the styles I was looking for, and grabbed me by the arm and physically led me away from what I had come to buy! She took me to some other bags and said, “These are cheaper!” I left without getting anything and purchased the bag elsewhere.
A lot of pretty woman stories here. I think i have only had a sales assistant be rude to me once and that was in a supermarket. She made a mistake by saying I could not use one of my cards and since I had no other option I had to ask her to call a manager to confirm that. I didn’t complain and in my British way I probably apologised for the inconvenience and suggested it was always best to check. But, as soon as the manager left she was absolutely vile to me, prompting me to make an extremely rare formal complaint. We were both white and a similar age and I do not come across in anyway stuck up, so I really don’t know what her problem was. I don’t tend to go in posh shops, although I was treated like a queen when I turned up at a Jaguar car showroom in my dog walking gear and driving a tatty old Landrover Defender, I think they thought I was some sort of eccentric land owner.
Hmm. Considering how racist people in this country can be, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a racial element.
That said, it’s not ok to pretend to be a mind reader and ascribe thoughts to other people.
I agree with you.
Racism may have been involved. Or maybe not. Unless something was said about race, we can not know. We don’t know what was going on in the clerk’s mind. If you feel you are not being treated right for any reason, walk out. Don’t spend your money there. That will hurt them more than anything.
As for the management being vague: good managers have to walk a fine line between customer service and supporting the employees. It sucks when a customer is being unreasonable and the manager gives in and then blames the clerk. Again, unless they know for sure what happened…
Lord between the ‘light skin isn’t really black/don’t really deal with racism’, the ‘she seems smug’, and ‘it probably still didn’t happen because in all my experiences I’VE never given a cashier my wallet/been followed around a store/been discriminated on my skin tone’ posts some of you perpetuate microagressins like crazy.
The most amazing thing is you truly don’t understand how insulting your comments are or what the world is like for POC because you get to make your purchases in peace and just assume store clerks are only rude/following shoppers who must have done something wrong.
Ain’t life grand? To quote another lovely poster ✌️
I go back and forth between heartbreak and silent fury on posts like these. It is so so hard dealing with this shit day in and day out as a poc.
It really is, some days you think people are more enlightened and then…
Yep, it’s as if there is no racist store clerks ever.
No, none, they don’t exist, it’s all in our minds.
I wonder how some of these posters would respond if a man tried to explain to them that they didn’t really experience sexism or misogyny.That they are imagining things or overreacting.
Oh Collette they would GO OFF and never stop. But discrimination is “imagined” only when a person of color speaks up about their experience with racism.
*clapping*
damn straight.
Oh they’d light up like a Christmas tree demanding we all equally share in the outrage except when the shoe is on the other foot for us and they can’t give two guffs.
It’s like people are bending over backwards to figure out why it wasn’t a racist incident. Why can’t they just take at her word? They weren’t there. Btw, the guy she was with is CUTE.
Yes it’s like their throwing common sense out the window to make up an excuse why this couldn’t possibly be about race.
@ The Eternal Side-Eye
Don’t forget “she rich entitled celebrity”
@Flowerchild
Of course how could I forget that. Zendaya is the problem. She spoke out against racism, she dared to not be quiet and smile and completely forgiving and instead to be vocal and proud. And now? How dare she?! She CONTINUES to be vocal about the racism she faces and people are shocked? Thinks she’s lying?
They truly don’t comprehend racism is a day in, day out thing and that if every single person recorded and put their experience with racist moments on the web there wouldn’t be an ounce of data left for anything else.
Co-sign.
It’s really odd seeing these posts. It gives you a peek into white resentment. I suddenly get why Trump has a fan base. I don’t understand the resistance some whites have towards my experiences. If a woman tells you about the sexist treatment she gets on the job, most people especially women, believe her outright. Yet my experiences with profiling and people being racist gets a side eye?
I really do believe this is because many white people harbor prejudice (like most people in general) – and some have even profiled themselves, and so when they hear accusations or stories regarding racism…they go into an auto defensive then offensive posture.
I’ll let them in on a little secret. Contrary to the mythological black person of your fantasy.. blk people don’t go looking for discrimination or ill treatment based on race. Our preference is to never ever encounter it in life….no, really! In fact, we sometimes actually try to convince ourselves it’s not what it is. We give people all kinds of excuses, because the alternative is too disheartening to bear. When I was 14 a white guy in a truck passed me on the toad walkng home from the store and yelled the n-word at me. We had just moved to a predominantly white neighborhood/area. I convinced myself I hadn’t heard what I heard for a long time. I was in denial.
I share that story to try and impress upon some white folk here, that contrary to fox news and bigot’s opinions in general – blk people are not looking for racism, or jumping to racism as the first rationale behind rude behavior.
We know it when we experience it. If anything many of us give people way too many excuses before we allege racism.
Trusting we know what’s what after 300 years of this shite seems something we should be easily granted, but even in that, some white folk like saying they know more than we do- then lobbing a further insult and saying it’s our most fondest wish. See, I *wanted* that grown man yelling racial slurs to me as I was walking home…alone.
Uneffingreal
People don’t like to acknowledge that racism is still rampant because it makes them uncomfortable. My cousin is autistic and there was a really scary incident where he was picked up by the police for simply walking home from the library. The officer said he looked suspicious. Hmm because he is autistic or because he is black? His sister is white, and once she arrived to sort things out, the situation became a lot less intense. I can’t imagine what would have happened if the situation had gone south. Would my cousin be another hashtag? It makes people uncomfortable that this still happens and that they may have their own racist assumptions built in. No one likes to hear about it and they especially don’t like to confront it. Zendaya could have been rude, snotty or smug, that doesn’t mean the clerk didn’t discriminate against her or profile her. Again, not mutually exclusive. See the excuse of “she was uppity.” Mmmm hmmm.
I am so sorry about your cousin and that you ladies feel this way at all in any capacity is heartbreaking. I am pissed at myself for not agreeing with the account from yesterday. I could never understand what it feels like, but I do see it daily.
I will only say this, I was sexually harassed at an in patient pharmacy of a hospital when I was a pharmacy tech. I told my manager and he told me the guy would write me a letter of apology, I got nothing! So, they don’t always believe a woman.
@almondmilk
🙌 🙏 thank you for always being so perfectly on point. When it comes to sexism or rape it’s always believe the woman, never victim blame. But racism…time to analyze every little reason this is probably Zendaya’s fault. We all have stories like yours from childhood, we all have experienced like Zendaya’s on the daily, we actually don’t like being discriminated against and do our best to keep it moving because what other chice is there?
@OG
oh being uppity is the worst. She think she people apparently. >end sarcasm.
@Nicole
I’m so sorry that happened to you, genuinely. Being treated like you don’t matter because you’re ‘lesser’ sucks. We all just want to be treated better and given equal respect and also equal right to be believed till evidence otherwise.
I just read a devastating report about the number of police groups that don’t file rape charges because they simply don’t believe the victim. Never mind investigating, they just chuck the paper in the trash when the woman walks out. Sigh.
@ the eternal side eye
When I worked at that hospital I had to take a rape kit to the room they did that procedure. Those nurses left that young woman who was a very young black girl by herself outside that room. I could not believe they did that. All I could do was sit with her because you don’t leave someone. Never been so livid with a hospital.
I’m not surprised at all about those reports. Sickos.
A lady’s puppy was wildly noisy over days and days. I walked past and she had tied her dog outside to a balcony railing. I hoped to help her understand how dangerous it was, and how scared her puppy was and that’s what the noise was all about. She instantly turned to me and told me I was being racist because of her colour. I was stunned into silence, shock and dismay. No Honey, it had nothing to do with you, I was all about the dog. Racism is ugly every which way, up, down and sideways. We needs must strive for the best and the greatest of ourselves, not give in to our basest thoughts, or reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator.
I had the same thing happen to me at Vons – I had to buy a bunch of gift cards for a company function with my corporate AMEX. I had ID. They have a policy, but I don’t think the cashiers know the reasoning behind it, which is frustrating. I asked why, and I got the “just policy”, but I did feel like they weren’t trusting that the card was legit.
Would the world end if you acknowledged that is possible it could be race related? We weren’t there. I’m getting the sense that a lot of people don’t want to believe Zendaya because she’s pretty, black and famous. Why would she want to make it up? It’s not like she’s some nobody trying to get attention. If that’s how she felt, why can’t we just say, poor thing, that’s horrible?
Apparently there are those for whom the world would end if they had to admit racism exists. I despair of ever getting through to them. I think a lot of us share Snarkweek’s silent heartbreak and fury.
I don’t believe her, as she’s always in the middle of some drama. I can’t feel one ounce of pity for her while there are black Americans who cannot enjoy quality of life for being preyed upon financially, threatened physically and abused mentally. She needs to shift her focus away from herself if that’s even possible for a spoiled Disney princess.
.?????? So because she right and black she should sit down and shut up and not talk her experience with racism because there are poor black people?? Ya NO JUST NO.
Not a shocking observation from someone named Cinderella. You just don’t get it.
A) she’s NOT “always in the middle of some drama”. I wish people would stop saying that as it’s simply not true. Lohan is always in the middle of some drama, TSwift is always in the middle of some drama, Kanye is always in the middle of some drama…but this young woman? just no.
B) I don’t think she’s asking for anybody’s pity. by bringing this incident to light, maybe…just MAYBE…she’d show that, even as a rich, famous black person, she gets discriminated against so imagine HOW MUCH WORSE it is for black people who are poor or otherwise marginalized.
Once there was a Tory Burch purse I wanted. Being that it was $400, over Christmas and my birthday ( a few months apart) I asked for Nordstrom giftcards until I could afford to buy the purse. All in all, I walked in with about 8 of them knowing I would probably have to throw in cash to cover the tax etc. I have my purse, I’m at the register, and I start handing them over one by one. The sales person looked at me so accusingly. I chuckled and made a little joke about why I had so many as a way to explain but she wasnt having it. In the end I owed $20.00. I handed over the cash and she literally told me “no”, and that I would need to use a card so they had it “on file”. Right then I knew she thought I had stolen the gift cards and if it got reported then they could “find me”. I felt like Julia Roberts in pretty woman. I paid with my debit but I left upset. The point of this story is: I am white, I do not look homeless or crazy, just an average person. Because there is a lot of gift card theft/ fraud people are just extra careful I think.
The girl has been bi-racial all her life. She knows when she’s being discriminated against and if she wants to talk about it she can. Many black people are discriminated against but they don’t talk about it to people who don’t understand because all you get from others are lame excuses about how it’s because you’re too young/old/weren’t dressed well/were dressed too well/the use of proper English in conversation made you seem ‘uppity’/blah blah blah
There are times in life when you have to call it as you see it. No one should go into any place of business and be treated ‘less than’ by staff for any reason. You don’t have to burn a cross on someone’s lawn to be racist.
Now if Zendaya had accused a male cashier of sexism….
This chick has to stay relevant somehow, I guess pulling the race card is all she can really do at this point.
Good point 🤔
I’m guessing that having her own tv show, being one of the newest faces of Cover Girl, being the FIRST brand ambassador for CHI products and being cast in an upcoming movie isn’t enough to keep her relevant. It’s obvious that her only option at this point is to sit around making up stories about racism.
aw. someone wants attention…
trolls gonna troll.
Poor Zendaya being cast as one of the leads in Spiderman is not enough so she has to go on snap chat to complain about racism to stay relevant .
#sarcasm
I think that Zendaya has always been very classy about how she has handled situations in the past, and I don’t see her as someone screaming racism just to get attention for no reason. As a white woman Ina multi-racial relationship, I can tell you that my extended family and my kids have to deal with stuff that never crossed my mind growing up. So whether it was a correct perception or not on her part, it was how she felt and I believe her.
That being said – there is a HUGE difference between a clerk telling her she can’t afford something and her saying she couldn’t buy the gift cards on her credit card and it being perceived as a race issue. I was a GM of a retail establishment, and there actually are legitimate reasons why companies have a max on the amount you can buy in gift cards on a credit card. It’s a loss prevention paperwork nightmare if something happens on a credit card, and gift cards are effectively cash. Our limit was $100, and around the holidays when we ran specials of buy $50 in gift cards, get $5 free – we actually had a cash only policy to get the free card. One year, we had a customer who lost her poo when we told her she had to use cash or she couldn’t have the free gift card (it was in the fine print on the sign too – but no one reads that). I got a complaint from corporate claiming I was racist and that I implied she couldn’t afford it bc she was black and that’s why I required cash . I’m not – my kids aren’t 100% white, so that’s crazy – and it want my personal policy to say she had to use cash or she couldn’t get the free card. Upper management knew that so I didn’t get in trouble, but I think if it had happened now in the age of snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, etc – there probably would have been a very public apology from the company similar to this one.
Perception is everything. Her reality is her reality, and unless you know what she’s gone through you can’t claim she’s throwing the race card for no reason. But you also can’t assume that bc a clerk wouldn’t sell to her against store policy and she perceived it as a race issue, that it automatically was. There’s a fine line, and I have to teach that to my kids literally every day.
You sound like a damn good mom.
Good points. The clerk didn’t actually tell Zendaya she couldn’t afford the cards, or looked like she couldn’t afford them. That was Zendaya’s interpretation of the way the clerk looked at her.
It’s been interesting reading these comments…my first reaction to this story was annoyance because how can Zendaya just assume the rudeness was because of racism? What if it was just a cashier being a d*ck just because the cashier has a crappy personality? We’ve all come across people who like to be d*cks and no one is exempt from that, no matter what your race, age, sex, income level, etc. But then – as a white woman – I don’t know what it’s like facing subtle racial discrimination day in and day out, and I can see why it’d be natural and probably justified to come to the assumption that if someone in a store is being rude, that may very well be why. I don’t know what the cashier’s side of the story would be though – we only heard one side.
To compare it to sexism, which is something I can understand the experience of, I feel like men never quite “get it” – they also may just hear about one incident of sexism that their gf or wife tells them and respond to only that but they don’t have that collective weight of years of experiencing subtle or overt sexism to color their view on the incident. Maybe it’s like that with racism too? White people may only be judging the one experience they hear about and not the lifetime of experiences that a POC carries with them.
Thank you
Reince Priebus. RNC chair just pulled that sh*t on the Dem candidate for prez.
told Clinton (via twitter) that “she should smile more”.
What. The. EVERLOVING F?!!!
I’ve been to these “high end” stores and they look at you like you’re not worthy of being in there. With that said, this girl seems to always be in the middle of some racially motivated situation. I don’t condone prejudice but something about her makes me question her.
Yeah, she’s always “talking about racial issues and how they can be resolved”! Why can’t she just put up with it like a good little minority? Being pleasant all the time is more important than anything else!! (Sarcasm)
That’s not what I meant. Please don’t project your sarcasm on to me and insinuate that I am prejudice. All I’m saying is, maybe the clerk at the store was just an asshole. I’ve experienced it as well and I am not black. Maybe she misinterpreted it. Yes she is vocal about race issues, but sometimes it’s not about race.
I agree with you, Pmnichols. Zendaya has been involved in other issues involving race. (look it up, people!) Something about her makes me question what she’s REALLY about.
“this girl seems to always be in the middle of some racially motivated situation”
you mean the ones where other people implied on tv that she was less than hygienic for having faux dreadlocks? Or racists got mad at her for being black and cast to play Mary-Jane in the new Spiderman? Or that batshit Klausner woman started a beef with her over Twitter?
She was not the one initiating those situations, kindly cease with the coded “she’s just making it up for attention” implications.
I love love love her pink suit. I haven’t seen the trousers, but the pics here of blouse and jacket are gorgeous. she’s gorgeous. That’s all 🙂