Bagel shop employee called the n-word by a white customer says he kept his cool because "love surpasses hatred."
A Black employee of a New York City bakery says he kept his cool after being called the n-word by a white customer because "love surpasses hatred."
The 30-year-old worker was captured in a bystander's video declining to wait on a woman with four children because the woman wasn't wearing a coronavirus mask.
The mother responds by shouting “b***h a** n*****” at him, according to local reports.
The employee, interviewed by WCBS-TV, said he didn't get angry because the woman had children with her.
"Seeing her kids right next to her I couldn’t say anything to her," said the worker, identified only as Vic.
“Honestly, I feel like we’ve been going through this, you know, racism, we went through COVID all year last year, we went through George Floyd. We went through all types of situations,” he said.
“I felt like we were moving forward, honestly, that’s where I’m at. I thought we were moving forward. I’m educated enough and smart enough, and I think we’re in a world where … love surpasses hatred.
The woman, reached by phone, said her children's father is Black and uses the n-word “colloquially,” the station reported. She said mask mandates infringe on her constitutional rights.
A bakery official applauded the employee's response.
“People all over the country have reached out, saying we would’ve understood if your employee had reacted differently. And it’s just a credit to him and his behavior and his professionalism,” said Marc Fintz, vice president of Davidovich Bakery.
RELATED STORIES
