'Go back to your country': 'Karen' yells at Asian American woman at store in viral video
Xuna Hu, an Asian American woman, was shopping at Lowe's in Springfield, Illinois, on January 17, when a white customer reportedly yelled at her, "Go back to your country," according to Hu's Facebook post. After taking one of the fire pits that Hu had been waiting to buy, a customer made these remarks. Hu shot a video of the incident where she urged the 'Karen' to apologize. Further, in the video, a white Lowe's employee named David could be seen asking Hu to erase the video and calling her "combative" and "hostile." David also threatened to deny her the item she purchased.
In the video, David said, “I’m asking you politely to delete the video you are currently taking. There is nothing that you need the video for. There is no crime being committed.” Hu responded, “It’s not right to be racist. And I have full right to protect myself, take the video just in case she does something bad to me. It’s nothing to you because you’re white.” On Facebook, Springfield Lowe's presently has a 1.3-star rating. Many one-star reviewers demanded that David be fired from the shop.
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After several TikTok users shared Hu's video, her experience went viral on TikTok. On Facebook and TikTok, many people expressed their support and even chastised David for dismissing Hu's experience. One Facebook user remarked, “David was gaslighting Xuna. David doesn’t get to decide how big of a situation this is. HE wasn’t the subject of the racist remarks.” One TikTok user remarked, “The worst part is that no one stepped in to help this woman. Normalize standing up for the right thing.”
Currently, the Asian American woman is seeking an apology, and many on social media are rallying behind her. She invited people to email the company's CEO using her template letter in another Facebook post. Hu's petition on Change.org has received over 17,500 signatures. Illinois state Rep Theresa Mah initiated the petition after viewing Hu's video, according to the State Journal-Register. Employees should get racial sensitivity training and apologies to Hu, according to the petition.
In her latest Facebook post, Hu told that she is grateful for the help she has gotten from "people I don't even know." She wrote on her Facebook message, “All I hope is people to understand that racism is not ok. We are all humans. We don’t have to hate each other because we look different. Right now it’s a really hard time for everyone. Please love, respect, and support each other!”