Facebook Publication Date: 6/19/2018 11:06

Robin Blanchard:

My latest correspondence with Macy’s. Also crossposted to Estee Lauder.

To: Macy’s Executive Team; Board of Directors, Macy’s; Media Relations Staff

Good morning.

I am sending all of you this correspondence because previous efforts to have authentic and productive dialog with your more forward facing staff have come to an impasse.

I am aware that my contacting you this way is unorthodox. But I do believe that the situation warrants it.

Attached you will find screenshots of my contact with Macy’s and also reference to my conversation with Estee Lauder.

While the incident that happened has had lasting effects, including intrusive thoughts and generalized anxiety/terror and somatic symptoms, after the experience I have had with Macy’s staff in the intervening days has produced a secondary trauma response. Attempting to have productive interaction with you all has eclipsed my self care. I have not yet been able to seek help for my trauma. But this is too important not to pursue with all that I have.

Something good must come from this.

It is disheartening, insulting, and invalidating that your Company has chosen to deal with me in the dismissive, rote way that you have thus far.

To contact you after what happened to me took risk. My overarching goal, which has sustained me, has been to insure that no other woman receive the treatment and the trauma that I did. Toward that end, the reasonable requests (embedded in the Messenger thread), include that there be a face to face meeting with both store management, and later, with the offending manager in a Restorative Justice process. As well I do still request to be able to view the video I know exists of the encounter itself, where I was deemed threatening. I am sure that tape has been scrutinized by your staff. Calling me violent was a strong, incendiary statement. It is reasonable for me to review what made her come to that conclusion.

I am not asking for her firing. I am asking for acknowledgement, accountability, and strong course correction going forward. This can never happen again.

That I have not heard from anyone in any substantial way in almost a week seems to tell me that Macy’s as a whole, and you all in particular, agree with the actions of your staff/representatives. That you agree that a white store manager accusing me of ‘raising [my] hands to [her] after I asked for contact information more detailed than a 1-800 number was acceptable behavior and de facto store policy.

Considering the current racial climate, my fear was and is. In countless retail establishments in the very recent past—this last year alone—patrons have been silenced, humiliated, manhandled, slammed to the floor, shot, killed. I legitimately feared for my life, because even if your security staff is not armed, the mall security may well have been. As a woman who comes from an Anabaptist/Mennonite background, and whose life has been dedicated to the cause of racial justice (Former Board Member; Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference; Peace Resource Center of San Diego, San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice), and now serve as founder of Lace on Race, a community dedicated to issues of race, relational ethics, and outward praxis, I feel I can speak with some authority and legitimacy as regards to the events that occurred and also my analysis of them. I have participated in and led nonviolent communication seminars, and have lectured on relational ethics

And, again, given the current racial climate, I am sure that each of you can appreciate the racialized nature of the white store manager’s claim. Her saying I was being violent towards her plays directly into a racialized trope. Her saying I ‘escalated’ the situation was a direct reference to the ‘conventional wisdom’ that black women are aggressive, threatening, and dangerous.

That I slunk away in tears, despite my decades of racial justice work, tells me that other black women would have a similar, actually, a more pronounced response. They would have been too traumatized to hold the manager, the store, and ultimately you, accountable.

In truth, I am too traumatized as well.

But I am using my focus, that no other person receive the same racialized, dehumanizing treatment that I did. Despite the effects of trauma breaking through, I am determined to stay this course. Black women have a reasonable expectation to be able to shop, work, and interact with those in authority in any of your stores—not just Fashion Valley (and it must be said, if it happened here, other similar incidents have occurred elsewhere) but throughout your family of stores, Macy’s Bloomingdales, and Bluemercury.

I am not at all sure that I will receive a response from any of you. I am bracing myself for yet another insult.

But I can, and do hope that you will choose to engage with me. What happened, and the response to it, both have reverberations. I do so hope you will do your best by your past, present and future customers by walking with me, and partnering with me to insure good outcome for women we will never see, but whose lives can be improved by your deliberate, sustained, and reliable action.

Thank you for your time, I am,

Sincerely,

Lace Watkins.
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