Victoria’s Secret employee sacked after telling black women to leave store

An employee at an Alabama lingerie store has been fired after reportedly telling two black women to leave.
An employee at an Alabama lingerie store has been fired after reportedly telling two black women to leave. 

Kimberly Houzah was shopping at a Victoria’s Secret in Oxford, Alabama, Wednesday when she and another black woman were asked to leave, according to a Facebook Live video she posted online. Houzah said another black woman who she did not know had been caught shoplifting, and store management then turned their attention on her.

“The employee didn’t check my bag, she didn’t accuse me of of stealing, but because another black person happened to get caught stealing, we gotta be affiliated,” Houzah said in the ten-minute-long video.

She feels the store manager discriminated against her because she's African American. She says no one else was told to leave the store.

On Thursday, Houzah and a group of peaceful protesters stood outside the Victoria's Secret to get an apology. They are also calling for the manager's job.

"You have to be conscious of how you speak to people, how you treat people and you can't just do certain things and get away with it and think that people are going to continue to turn the other cheek,” Houzah said.

The manager on duty did apologize to Houzah and said the other manager is no longer on the schedule to work.

The mall referenced questions to Victoria's Secret's corporate office, which issued a statement on their Facebook page. They say the employee involved in this situation is no longer employed with the company.

Read the full statement below:

"We take the experience of our customer at the Quintard Mall very seriously and have reached out to her directly to express our sincere apology. What happened at our store should not have happened and does not represent who we are or what we stand for. The store associate involved in this matter is no longer employed with the company. Victoria’s Secret is adamant that all customers regardless of race be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Source: HuffinghtonPost