It's incredibly disappointing that in 2025, businesses still struggle with basic customer service…read moreequality. What's worse is when complaints about discriminatory treatment are dismissed under the false assumption that racism cannot exist within the same racial group. The idea that a Black employee cannot be racist or biased against another Black person is not only ignorant but a failure to understand cultural relativism, power dynamics, and internalized prejudice.
Racism is not just white versus Black--it exists within communities as well. There is a long history of Black individuals internalizing harmful societal messages and enforcing them against their own people. Whether it's due to proximity to whiteness, ingrained respectability politics, or personal resentment, many Black people have adopted biases that lead them to treat other Black individuals with less respect, patience, or courtesy than they would extend to white people. This is exactly what happened here.
The issue isn't that the front desk employee didn't speak English--it's that she deliberately switched up how she interacted based on race. Using slang, passive-aggressive tones, and dismissiveness towards Black customers while immediately switching to professional, polished, and articulate speech for white customers is a clear example of racial bias. This behavior suggests an ingrained belief that Black customers do not deserve the same level of professionalism and respect, reinforcing the idea that whiteness is the standard for "deserving" good service.
This business response also reflects a deep misunderstanding of cultural relativism--the concept that one must understand behaviors and practices in the context of the culture they exist within. Simply stating "our employee is also Black" does nothing to address the core issue. Black people can--and do--discriminate against each other. There is historical resentment, often toward Black men in particular, rooted in gender dynamics, social hierarchies, and personal biases that manifest in everyday interactions. The notion that a Black woman cannot be racist or discriminatory toward a Black man because of shared race is simply false.
Instead of acknowledging these valid concerns, the business owner chose to deflect, gaslight, and make inappropriate assumptions about the customer. Implying that the reviewer's complaint was just a way to "distract" from a failed test is unprofessional, offensive, and completely irrelevant to the core issue: inconsistent and biased customer service. No business should ever publicly speculate about a customer's test results--it's unethical and a clear attempt to shift blame instead of addressing the problem.
The fact that multiple reviews highlight similar issues shows a pattern, not an isolated incident. Rather than hiding behind weak defenses, this business should reflect on why so many people have had the same experience and take action. All customers--regardless of race--deserve to be treated with the same level of respect, professionalism, and courtesy. In 2025, we should be far past having to explain this.
