White Fragility Digest #5: 17 May 2018 [View all]

[MrScorpio]

‘Humiliated’ Black woman strip searched by Macy’s clerk because ‘people like you have been stealing’

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By Blue Telusma - May 16, 2018

A California woman believes she was racially profiled and wrongfully accused of stealing by a Macy’s store clerk.

According to KNTV-TV, Conteh Moore was shopping at a San Jose Macy’s on May 8th when a sales associate accused her of stealing a bottle of cologne. Shortly thereafter, the employee performed an invasive strip search on her without her consent but came up empty handed.

“They searched my purse and stripped my sweater off me,” Moore said.

She also claims the employee made comments that demonstrated her suspicions about Moore being a thief were based on racial bias.

“She said, ‘People like you have been stealing from Macy’s, stealing stuff,’” Moore explained.

To add insult to injury, the employee made a scene and loudly accused her of shoplifting in front of other customers, then made her wait nearly two hours to speak with a manager about the incident.

“I feel so humiliated, and up until now, I am still feeling the pain,” Moore said.

https://thegrio.com/2018/05/16/humiliated-black-woman-strip-searched-after-macys-clerk-explained-people-like-you-have-been-stealing/

"White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress, leading to what I refer to as White Fragility. White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium."

Robin DiAngelo, Ph.D

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