Burger King investigates after White employee wears blackface at drive-thru
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A White employee wearing blackface at a Burger King drive-thru has prompted one of the fast-food chain’s franchisees to launch an investigation.
A video showing a tense encounter between the female employee and a customer during the incident has sparked fury on social media after going viral on October 31.
“We are aware of the video and take the matter very seriously,” a Burger King spokesperson told The Independent. “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.”
In viral footage from the encounter between the employee and the customer, the worker can be seen wearing a branded Burger King hat and makeup around her face.
“I’m just black today,” the worker says in the video.
“And I asked you what?” the customer responds, speaking from their car.
“You said, ‘Did I think it was okay?’” the worker says, adding that she had responded: “As long as you have a good heart.”
In the clip, the employee nods her head when asked if her intentions are “good.”
Asked if she supports the Black Lives Matter movement, the worker says: “Well no, I just wanted to be black.”
“Do you know the struggles that we go through as Black people?” the customer asks.
“No, yes I do. I mean, no. I don’t. No, I don’t,” the worker responds.
The chain has not yet confirmed at which branch of Burger King the incident occurred. According to the company’s website, there are more than 19,000 locations in more than 120 countries and U.S. territories.
The Anti-Defamation League says that the use of blackface by White performers “perpetuated a range of negative, belittling and demeaning stereotypes about Black people.”
The practice was first recorded in the United States during the 19th Century and remained in use into the 20th Century. It involved White artists mimicking enslaved people on Southern plantations, often depicting them as lazy and mocking their intelligence.
The practice became so prevalent that touring shows developed and a number of popular American actors appeared on stage in blackface.
The practice began to decline as the Civil Rights Movement began to gain momentum.
However, the ADL says that blackface remains an “unfortunate practice in our society.”
Blackface has made headlines in recent years after a number of celebrities have been accused of employing the practice.
