Blackface is a costume that’s never supposed to be done. So when Staples says that they didn’t know it would be racist, it’s kind of hard to believe when it’s not really a new topic.
By now, we shouldn’t have to educate anybody on what blackface is but alas, Staples messed up big time on this.
One Staples customer happen to catch a Staples employee wearing blackface in hopes of pulling off a Sharpie costume. How she came to the conclusion of coloring her face black and going as a Sharpie for Halloween shows very little intelligence there.
Harrold Leffall stopped by the Staples in Pleasant Hill Friday to purchase a cash register. When he questioned an employee about the registers, he was shocked to see her face covered in black paint.
“I said, ‘ma’am, where are the cash registers?’ Then she turned around and I saw this white lady in blackface and I kind of froze,” Leffall said.
He then questioned another store employee about it. “I said the lady over there is in blackface, and as a black man I am very offended and I think that’s very inappropriate.” He says the other employee replied, “she said it was a sharpie costume, and I said sharpie or no sharpie as a black man to see a white person in black face is very offensive.”
Staples’ apology also shows us very little intelligence. It really makes you wonder what people have in their brains.
Staples issued a statement that said: “A representative from HP who was in one of our stores wore a costume for Halloween that they intended to have represent an office product, but didn’t realize it could be considered offensive to some of our customers. While it was unintentional, it was still inappropriate and once this was raised to the representative, they immediately removed the costume.”
“Staples apologizes to any customers that may have viewed a photo of the associate on social media. We respect diversity and try to foster a sense of diversity and inclusion in our stores, as well as provide an atmosphere in which all customers feel comfortable.”
According to ABC, that woman is no longer an employee of the store.