‘Black Panther’ shirt got a Washington Lowe’s worker sent home. The company apologized

Lowe’s apologized to an employee in Bonney Lake, Washington, after he was sent home for wearing a ‘Black Panther’ T-shirt, the company says.

Kyle Sales was wearing a shirt that read ‘Wakanda Forever,’ a reference to the ‘Black Panther’ movie, the teen’s mother, Kimberly Sales, wrote in a Facebook post. He was sent home after a customer complained that his shirt was “offensive and racist,” Kyle Sales told KIRO.

“I was very angry. It just did not seem fair in light of all of the things that are happening in the world right now,” he told KIRO. “This isn’t racist. I shouldn’t be punished for a T-shirt from a movie.”

In a statement to McClatchy News, Lowe’s said Kyle 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.”

Kimberly Sales’ post garnered a lot of reaction on Facebook. Of the dozens of comments left on her post, most showed support for her son and called for Lowe’s to apologize.

“I am very sorry to see this! I am praying this is an opportunity for Lowe’s and all others who don’t understand what is going on to get educated and change the way they are looking at the world and to be a part of the change that is long overdue,” Susan Shaw Ray commented.

Another commenter said: “So they can wear a Make America Great shirt and hat but we can’t support a movie. Shame on Lowe’s. They will not be getting anymore of my money.”

Kimberly told KIRO she didn’t feel like an apology from Lowe’s was enough.

“That was pure, unadulterated discrimination,” she said. “Lowe’s owes him more than an apology.”

This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 12:32 PM with the headline "‘Black Panther’ shirt got a Washington Lowe’s worker sent home. The company apologized."