Zendaya Coleman feels it is “important” to speak out about issues that affect her.
The 20-year-old star wants to raise awareness about how “African-American men and women” are affected by racism every day.
She told PEOPLE magazine: “It’s important to raise your voice about issues you feel affected by. It happens to African-American men and women every day.”
The Shake It Up star recently received an apology from supermarket chain Vons after she claimed she was refused service because of her “skin tone”.
Recalling what happened, she said: “So we just got out of this Vons. Now I am trying to buy a lot of gift cards. There are certain limits or whatever so you can only by so much, but the lady that was helping us …
“I don’t think she was a fan of our skin tone. She then threw my wallet. I can’t make this up! This is what we deal with! She literally threw my wallet and she was like, ‘You can’t afford this.’ It was $400! Long story short, there is so much progress to be done in our world.”
In their apology, Vons said they “respect Zendaya’s voice in the community” and apologised for any offence caused.
They said in a statement: “At Vons, we strive to treat each and every customer with the utmost respect. There is a policy that limits gift card purchases using a credit card. Zendaya was able to purchase gift cards up to our limit, and we apologise for any inconvenience or misunderstanding.
“We respect Zendaya’s voice in the community and similarly are committed to diversity and inclusion. Moreover, we understand that race is a sensitive issue in America and view this experience as a reminder that every interaction is an opportunity to treat each customer as we ourselves would like to be treated.”
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