Officials at a Chicago zoo have decided to fire an employee who posted a photo to her Facebook page that many whites found to be racially insulting, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Brookfield Zoo officials made the decision to terminate Shana Latrice’s employment after she posted an image to her Facebook account with the caption, “Wassup y’all? At work serving these rude ass white people.”
The zoo issued the following statement in reference to the incident:
“[Monday], we became aware of the actions of a single employee which we agree are unacceptable. This employee’s statements in social media are in violation of our policies and do not reflect our institution’s values. We have zero tolerance for these kinds of divisive behaviors. We treat all employment matters confidentially, but rest assured that we have taken prompt action to remedy the situation. We hope you continue to hold Brookfield Zoo in high regard and not let the actions of one individual overshadow the longstanding good work of the Chicago Zoological Society.”
The zoo characterized the worker as “a seasonal employee.”
The posting triggered a flurry of comments in the review section of the Facebook page. As of 5 p.m., the posting had drawn more than 19,000 “likes.”
An attempt by media to reach the employee was unsuccessful.
