Close Ad

Racist Hampton Inn Employee Calls Police on Black Guest and Kids - But This Hotel Fires Her Instead
Hampton Inn Hotel Fires Racist Employee After She Called the Police on a Black Guest
Uplifting News

Racist Hampton Inn Employee Calls Police on Black Guest and Kids - But This Hotel Fires Her Instead

Hampton Inn immediately responds to an employee's poor actions.

Tough conversations about race, stereotypes, police, and systemic racism have been at the forefront of our communities for a while now, but there’s still a lot that needs to improve.

One employee at a Hampton Inn proved that over the Summer of 2020 when she discriminated against a Black mother hanging out at the pool with her kids.


A Bad Vacation

poolside
Photo by Ksu&Eli

In June 2020, Anita Williams-Wright was enjoying pool time with her children at a Hampton Inn in Williamston, North Carolina, when a white employee approached her. The employee asked Williams-Wright to prove she was staying at the hotel, despite the guest flashing her room key. The mother decided to capture the incident on video.

“I feel it’s discrimination. I have a room here,” Williams-Wright said in the clip, which she posted to Instagram in a since-deleted post, as per USA Today, and to Facebook.

“This lady here is discriminating (against) me. I have a key to get in, and I can show you that it works. I have a room here. I don’t have to give my name. I didn’t break the law.”

According to Williams-Wright, the employee didn’t ask anyone else at the pool to prove they were guests. “It was two white people sitting over there, and she said nothing to them,” Williams-Wright continued in the video. “She said to me, 'Oh, because it’s always people like you using the pool unauthorized.' Who is 'people like me?'”

An Unexpected Escalation

At that point, the employee called the police. When Williams-Wright refused to provide identification or her room number to them, they used her license plate from her car parked outside the pool area to confirm she was indeed a registered guest at the hotel. According to the police report, “no enforcement action was taken, and officers cleared the call.”

“Once I prove that I have a room, that was for you to walk away,” Williams-Wright said to one of the officers in the video. “I didn’t commit a crime. You are degrading me like this in front of my kids. They are trying to enjoy themselves in the pool.”

The video went viral, and many people called out the hotel employee for her actions.

In a public statement, Hampton by Hilton maintained it has “zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind.” It also said that after hearing about this incident, it moved quickly to investigate the matter and apologized directly to the guest. The company added it wanted to make the situation right and that it remained 'in contact with the hotel’s ownership about follow-up actions, and to ensure that in the future, their employees reflect the best values of our brand and are welcoming of all.'”

Zero Tolerance

two diverse people holding hands
Photo by Angela Roma

In a statement to USA Today, the Global Head of Hampton by Hilton, Shruti Gandhi Buckley, revealed, “The team member is no longer employed at the hotel.”

Stories like these aren’t rare, but hopefully, with companies like Hampton by Hilton taking a strong stance against this kind of employee behavior, they eventually will be. Sadly, Williams-Wright had to go through this in the first place, but sharing her story hopefully opens more people’s eyes to the need for change.

In our own lives, this story reminds us to speak out when we see an injustice and to stand by anyone who is treated differently. There is strength in numbers and power in communities to affect change, but first, we must use our voices and band together to achieve it.  

KEEP READING:

Racist Bullies Shout Islamophobic Slurs at Girl Calling Her a “Terrorist” — More Than 100 of Her Classmates Stand Up to Protect Her

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
cracker barrel waitress in tears
Cracker Barrel Server Left in Shock After a Group of Diners Leave Her a $1,200 Tip (1)

There are many mixed opinions when it comes to tipping. But the reality is that many servers rely on tips to make a decent living, working hard to ensure customer satisfaction with each and every meal.

But even the best of servers don’t expect their patrons to go above and beyond like this group of diners did one day in Georgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uplifting News
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Archive

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.

He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).

Keep ReadingShow less
Family