Social Media Users Rally To Boycott Hair Care Brand EBIN New York After Ex-Employee Recalls Racial D

Thurs, April 25, 2024 at 1:20 PM

Social Media Users Rally To Boycott Hair Care Brand EBIN New York After Ex-Employee Recalls Racial Discrimination & Being 'Treated So Horribly'

Looks like hair care company EBIN New York will be doing some damage control soon.

Social media users are currently calling for a boycott of the brand after allegations of racial discrimination from an ex-Black employee went viral online.

A woman named Samiyah (TikTok handle @Miylifestyle) shared her experience working for the brand this past Saturday (April 20th). In a 4-part series, she talked about being the only Black employee in corporate for the company, which heavily markets its products to Black women, claiming she often faced ostracizing and racial discrimination. She said employees would have side conversations in Korean to exclude her and at times would talk about her. She also accused leadership of intentionally leaving her out of team events.

Speaking on her working conditions, she said,

"I was treated so horribly you guys, I would go to the bathroom everyday and cry."

@miylifestyle

Speaking up because I'm tired of us staying silent and being treated poorly in the corporate world. #ebin #workplaceproblems

? Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs - Skittlegirl Sound

Samiyah detailed several alarming incidents she (allegedly) endured while working for EBIN, including having to stay in a bad motel separate from the rest of the staff during a company trip. She also claimed that one of her co-workers even admitted to her that people in the company were being racist. When she took the situation to HR, apparently her complaints were shared amongst the entire company and seemingly angered the company's CEO, which ultimately prompted her departure. She explained:

"What really put the icing on the cake you guys was when the CEO...he stops a meeting...and he says 'Samiyah', [snaps], and points to the door...he said something really fast like 'you don't need to be in here'...he kicks me out, and I just went back to my desk because I was very confused,"

@miylifestyle

What put the icing on the cake for me. Thank you all for supporting me as I go through these next steps. Any beauty/ fashion brands who 100% SUPPORT BLACK PEOPLE, contact me, lets work!! #ebin #workplaceproblems

? original sound - Miylifestyle

She continued:

"A couple hours go by...I went up to him and I asked him 'Hey can we talk.' He said 'No'...I asked him why and he said 'I don't need to speak to you, man,' that's how he said it...I guess he felt some type of way about me going to complain to HR and HR telling him about these things. "

She said the following day she was wrongfully terminated for what she was told was due to her low performance. As social media users caught wind of the TikToker's story, many began urging others to boycott the brand. Critics argued that their poor treatment of their sole Black employee shouldn't be an oversight seeing as though a large part of their consumers are Black women. Others suggested the woman lawyer up and commented that they've had similar workplace experiences.