Fred Lucas-Wilson has been going to LF Bakery on Gottingen Street in Halifax for years. During a recent visit, he says he was treated rudely by a staff member.
“I do not feel as a Nova Scotia Black, in the middle of downtown Gottingen street, that I need to be treated that way,” said Lucas-Wilson.
On April 29, Lucas-Wilson says he stopped by the bakery to pick up more than $50-worth of pastries for his friends that were visiting from out of town.
He says before he was given a chance to tell the manager how he wanted the freshly-baked chocolate and plain croissants bagged, she bagged all the croissants together and tossed them on the counter in front of him.
“Before I went to leave, I went over to who I didn’t know was the manager, and I said to her ‘am I being treated this way because I’m Black,’” said Lucas-Wilson. “I didn’t know what it was when I got home, I just didn’t feel right in my soul. And I said you know what, I am hurt.”
The owner of LF Bakery, Laurent Marcel, addressed the encounter in an email.
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“There are people of colour in the company and there is no problem with racism. My wife works with LF and is from Africa,” said Marcel.
The owner apologized on behalf of the manager, and said she is “nervous by nature.”
Human rights advocate, Raymond Sheppard, says this response did not show a strong sign of accountability, which can further the trauma faced by African-Nova Scotians who experience racial profiling.
“It is insulting,” said Sheppard. “It is psychologically damaging to know that you have suffered a mortal wound and to treat that with a band aid.”
Sheppard says businesses should put training in place on the history and culture of African Nova Scotians to better understand race relations.
As for Lucas-Wilson, he says businesses should be more intentional about how they interact with customers, by prioritizing truth and accountability.
“I just think that there needs to be a standard, and the standard should be that everyone who comes in here is welcome. Everyone who comes in here is treated with respect and treated with dignity and with value,” said Lucas-Wilson.
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