“A group of black teenagers was told to leave an Apple store in Melbourne because staff were worried they ‘might steal something,'” Melissa Davey reports for The Guardian.
“A video of the interaction between a Highpoint Apple store staff member and a group of students was uploaded to Facebook on Tuesday night,” Davey reports. “The six boys from Maribyrnong College were denied entry to the store by a staff member and two security guards. ‘These guys [security guards] are just a bit worried about your presence in our store. They’re just worried you might steal something,’ the Apple staff member says in the video.”
“A member of the group replied: ‘Why would we steal something?'” Davey reports. “One of the students evicted from the store, Mabior Ater, told Fairfax Media that he had been going to the Highpoint shopping centre for a long time. Ater said the principal of their school accompanied the students back to the store to help them in seeking an apology. ‘[The manager] apologised to us and told us that we are welcome here anytime,’ he said. ‘It feels like we have justice now.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Shopping while black.
As part of his quest for equality for all, Apple CEO Tim Cook should make prominent examples of the Apple Store Highpoint’s staff and security members involved.
Tim Cook should make the actual “end of discussion” here and it should carry some real meaning, clarity, and finality.
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Apple has always been different. A different kind of company with a different view of the world. It’s a special place where we have the opportunity to create the best products on earth — products that change lives and help shape the future. It’s a privilege we hold dear.
Diversity is critical to innovation and it is essential to Apple’s future. We aspire to do more than just make our company as diverse as the talent available to hire. We must address the broad underlying challenges, offer new opportunities, and create a future generation of employees as diverse as the world around us. We also aspire to make a difference beyond Apple.
This means fostering diversity not just at Apple but throughout our entire ecosystem, from the customers we welcome in our stores to the suppliers and developers we work with. We are committed to fostering and advancing inclusion and diversity across Apple and all the communities we’re a part of. — Apple CEO Tim Cook
MacDailyNews Note: Update: 10:15am ET: Apple has apologized via a statement to the media.
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Apple apologizes after allegations of racism by Australia schoolboys – November 12, 2015