A Black woman and Tiktoker says she was “racially profiled” by a white target clerk Target while trying to purchase items from the store’s Black History Month collection
Pamela Smith (@blackhomeeducators) shared a TikTok where Target employees gave Smith the names of the security and store manager.
“When you are racially profiled while buying the Black History Collection at Target in Kalispell, Montana,” the overlay text in the video read. “Stop buying from Target. Find Black business owners.”
@blackhomeeducators @target don’t buy their Black History Collection. They need diversity training. Tag Target and Black Businesses that we can purchase from. #target #blm #blacklivesmatter #fyp #viralvideo #blackbusinessowner #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory ♬ original sound – Pamela Smith
The video skims over to the self-checkout register. “This is the stuff, guys,” she says. “I came in here for Black History items, and I was treated like I was stealing these items. Target, if you’re seeing this, corporate, you definitely need to do some training here in Kalispell, Montana.”
The video has now amassed more than 400,000 views and over 50,000 likes.
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Smith went into more detail about the incident in another TikTok.
@blackhomeeducators @target why are you not training staff on diversity. Tag target and Black Creators. Don’t buy from #target #blm #blacklivesmatter ♬ original sound – Pamela Smith
“I had been seeing them online and we were traveling to that area because we live in a very rural area,” she said. “We don’t go to town much. So I went in to purchase the items, went to the self-checkout, and by the time I got up to the register, I was being harassed by a white clerk.
“She was accusing me of stealing. She was invading my personal space. I had a mask, I was telling her please back up, her not having on a mask,” Smith said. “She proceeded to go into my bag that I had already scanned items.”
“I’m embarrassed, I’m hurt, I’m shook up,” she continued. “The white people in there thought it was funny.”
According to The Daily Dot, a Target spokesperson reached out to Smith to “apologize.”
“This is definitely not the welcoming experience we strive for,” Target wrote in the comments. “We want everyone who shops at Target to feel respected every time they shop in our stores. Our team would like to connect with you and is committed to looking into this situation.”