Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
The founder of Perth activewear brand Kikiva has “unreservedly” apologised for not immediately calling out a racial slur during a social media livestream earlier this month.
Kia Buckley came under fire after the 24-year-old’s sister was caught saying the “N word” during a TikTok livestream on October 9.
Footage of the moment has since been shared across the platform, which shows Buckley in the aftermath ignoring the comment and telling her fans: “No, she didn’t say that; she said what’s up, sissys.”
Buckley apologised last Thursday but after receiving continuing backlash online, the brand has realised that more action needed to be taken to earn the community’s trust back.
On Wednesday morning, Kikiva issued another statement saying that Buckley “unreservedly apologises for walking past a standard we should never accept”.
“By not calling out racism in that moment, we hurt our community, our customers and everyone who has supported us.
“We have let you down.
“An apology isn’t enough, so here is what we are doing now.
“Everyone in our business, including Kia, will complete cultural and historical learning.
“Kia will meet with Elders and community knowledge holders to listen, understand the harm we have caused, and learn how to do better.
“We are committed to doing much more and to doing better, and we will share what we learn along the way.
“We know our customers and this community place their trust in us, and we will work to earn it back.”
It comes as the incident has reached TikTok audiences in America with media personality Abbie Chatfield issuing her take on the situation on her It’s A Lot podcast.
