Black influencer who stepped in to buy stranger’s shopping subject to ‘racist comments’

A black influencer who offered to pay for a stranger’s shopping has revealed how she was subjected to ‘racist’ comments from the mother she tried to help. 

Oladunni Pelovangu, 32, from southeast London, took to Instagram to reveal she had noticed a ‘frantic’ woman with a screaming baby, who was ‘on the verge of tears’ when she couldn’t find her bank card at the supermarket till. 

Keen to help the mum, Ola stepped in and paid for £102 worth of shopping, but was left in shock when the stranger asked her: ‘How can you afford to pay £102 when you look like someone who works here?’ 

Ola, who had been shopping with her husband Darcy and their three children, was stunned by the reaction, and calmly explained that if the stranger didn’t want to accept the gesture, that was ‘her problem’, before leaving the store. 

Oladunni Pelovangu, from London, who offered to pay for a stranger’s shopping, revealed how she was subjected to racist comments from the mother she tried to help

Ola had been shopping with her husband Darcy (pictured)

She explained how they noticed a 'frantic' mother with a screaming baby, who was 'on the verge of tears'

Ola, who had been shopping with her husband Darcy (pictured) and their three children, explained how they noticed a ‘frantic’ mother with a screaming baby, who was ‘on the verge of tears’

Ola explained: ‘We’d heard this screaming baby all through the shopping trip. I looked over and this woman was almost on the verge of tears.

‘You could see the buggy moving, it was quite frantic. She was checking her bag again and again.

‘I looked over at her cashier and I knew what was going on. I went over and I said “I’ll’ get it”.’

Ola, who has almost 60,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, double checked with her husband who agreed they would pay the bill, and quickly used Apple Pay to take care of it. 

Recalling the incident on her Instagram story, she told 'we still have a long way to go' regarding preconceived notions about what black people

Recalling the incident on her Instagram story, she told ‘we still have a long way to go’ regarding preconceived notions about what black people

But almost as soon as the payment had gone through, the woman began quizzing Ola about how she could afford to pay for the shopping. 

She said: ‘I don’t even think it was five seconds, as I took my phone off and looked back at her she said, “How can you afford to pay £102 when you look like someone who works here?”

Ola continued: ‘You know when you have to do a rewind in your mind, did I hear that right?’

She quickly corrected the woman, making it clear that she did not work at the supermarket – despite the fact that she was not wearing a uniform and had been in the process of paying for her own shopping at the time of the incident. 

The woman said she would call her husband to transfer the £102 back, but Ola refused her offer. 

Ola, pictured at her Lewisham home, considered for 'three or four seconds' accepting the woman's offer to let her husband transfer her back the £102 - but quickly changed her mind as it 'wouldn't be who she was'

Ola, pictured at her Lewisham home, considered for ‘three or four seconds’ accepting the woman’s offer to let her husband transfer her back the £102 – but quickly changed her mind as it ‘wouldn’t be who she was’ 

Ola documents the day-to-day lives of her and her three children, Mayah, Micah-Remi and Dream - as well as her dog Huey on their TikTok account @thepelofam

Ola documents the day-to-day lives of her and her three children, Mayah, Micah-Remi and Dream – as well as her dog Huey on their TikTok account @thepelofam

She added she wanted to ‘angry cry’ after the incident, quickly taking steps to move her kids away from the unfolding situation.

Ola told the woman: ‘Just because you think I don’t look like someone who can afford to pay for your shopping, that’s not my problem.’

The mother-of-three continued: ‘It’s racist views. She saw a black woman, and in her mind that woman couldn’t, and shouldn’t, have been able to afford £102.’

‘Why are we always in a situation where we are having to make justifications or give a benefit of the doubt comment where it is clearly prejudices that are playing out as microaggressions that happen every day?’  

The social-media star went on to say that ‘we still have a lot of work to do’, regarding ‘preconceived notions about what black people should or shouldn’t be doing.’ 

Ola and Darcy were met with several comments of support from users

Ola and Darcy were met with several comments of support from users

After sharing the incident across their social media platforms Ola and Darcy were met with several comments of support from users who called the strangers reaction ‘madness’

After sharing the incident across their social media platforms Ola and Darcy were met with several comments of support from users who called the strangers reaction ‘madness’. 

‘She couldn’t stand the idea that a Black family could afford to pay for her shopping, I’m so sorry you went through that, you’re such an amazing example of kindness’, wrote one user. 

Another added: ‘Pure class oozing out of you both. Love you guys. I can’t believe the rudeness of this individual thank you again for sharing this unpleasant experience and allowing us to learn to be better.’