“I carry myself with honor,” Karim said. “I would never disrespect any human being by calling them outside of their name. You don’t know the impact of what you’ve done to my son. But maybe you were unaware.”
At one point, the employee, who is referred to as Homer, attempts to blame his injured leg for his use of hate speech.
“You hurt your leg, so you said ‘f----ing n-----’?” Karim asks. “Treat human beings with respect and morals and values,” the father says. “Now I have to go home and correct my 10-year-old not to be a damn idiot.”
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Following the posting of the video, Dillard’s released a statement announcing Homer’s immediate termination.
“The allegations made against our former employee were promptly investigated, found to be in clear violation of our standards, and his employment with Dillard’s was immediately terminated.”
Karim told CBS News that his son is still traumatized by the incident.
"I don't think Homer understands the impact of his words. My Honey [the family nickname for the 10-year-old child, who is known for being kind] is scared to come outside. He thinks that every white person is out to get him. How do you explain it?"
Karim says he’s being lauded for maintaining his composure.
"I can't allow for my emotions to overshadow them in this particular time," he tells CBS news. "So, I'm doing the best that I can to protect them. … The best decision at that moment … was to do what was right."
According to the Tampa Bay Times, in 1998, Dillard’s Department Stores, Inc., apologized after a series of accusations of racist treatment against Black customers.
"There is absolutely no place for discrimination anywhere. Where we have erred and made mistakes in the past, we sincerely apologize," the company wrote at the time. "If our employees exhibit prejudices at work, Dillard's has a duty to stop that behavior by any means, including terminating the offender."
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