Emily Huynh is an 18-year-old senior at Cleveland STEM High School in Seattle, Washington. Here she is with her family.
Recently, Huynh has been helping her 52-year-old dad, Minh, look for jobs. Because his English isn't fluent, she usually proofreads his emails before he sends them.
But one day, Minh emailed a company about a job he was interested in by himself. He received an email back from the HR manager of the company, Dash Delivery, which read, "Let me tell you now, if you no speak English, I will send you home."
Non-English speakers really have it hard bc my dad just got rejected from this job offer and the email literally st… https://t.co/fW8C5Bx0Af
"As soon as I read it, I knew he was making fun of my dad's lack of English," Huynh said. "I was outraged, but my dad was confused until I explained it to him."
Update: My dad isn’t that hurt, he just doesn’t fully understand the concept of someone not hiring him for his lack… https://t.co/mjv2iy9NV5
Huynh said that it highlighted a problem where immigrant parents often "do not understand the depth of discrimination, therefore don’t react like us."
She then decided to share a photo of the email to Twitter to warn people in the community, not expecting it to go viral.
I understand that the job requires English but his email(s) could’ve been handled way more professionally. This ema… https://t.co/xTAH0uYFrP
Her tweet has been retweeted more than 23,000 times.
@staleboba @truccialaine Wow that is absolutely horrible!! Is you dad still looking for a position?! I recruit for… https://t.co/Afoz9lxSnQ
People immediately offered their support.
@staleboba this made me heart break, it hits so close to home! i’m so sorry your dad had to go through that. i’m un… https://t.co/jZRbzvbqRy
@staleboba My moms English isn’t perfect either and seeing this makes me want to cry. You can file a lawsuit which you guys should!
@staleboba @ughtiina I hate the crossover where they think your lack of speaking a language strips away your knowle… https://t.co/wrg8bua1tN
Lots of people offered to help with Minh's job search.
@staleboba 💝 tell your dad to keep his head up. What kind of work is he looking to do? My family and most of my fri… https://t.co/nKS1KH9Poh
@staleboba Are you guys in Washington state? If so there is a warehouse out here in renton I work at. And I have a… https://t.co/Ndh7sKNM5Y
And others contacted the company to complain about the behaviour of Bruce Peterson, the manager who sent the email.
@staleboba @Shanshanvu imma be contacting dash and letting them know about this pos that works for them!!!!!! sendi… https://t.co/xnN3w3DfAt
@staleboba We have been in contact with their headquarter office and the business has been notified. Please message… https://t.co/3nKdWUK5iy
"When I posted the tweet, Twitter really did its thing and more," Huynh said, adding that most of the responses they've gotten have been very positive and encouraging.
Update: he’s reading his article and is overwhelmed by the amount of support everyone is giving him!
The next evening, she received an email from the manager of Dash Delivery apologizing for Peterson's email and informing them that Peterson was no longer working at the company.
BEST UPDATE: HE GOT FIRED YALL!! I LOVE EVERYONE WHO SHARED THIS, LIKED THIS, READ THIS ARTICLE ETC. WE NO LONGER H… https://t.co/10HKHrU99n
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Dash Delivery for comment.
"My dad is a very forgiving person and accepts the apology," Huynh said. "His words were, 'what has happened already happened, what else can we do?'"
Check up: Even though we appreciate all the encouragement to make it a law suit, my dad has forgiven and wants to m… https://t.co/QRcyg9VDNj
"We were happy to learn that he got fired, but he doesn't want any harm towards Peterson," she added.
She said that Minh has since been flooded with job offers and is still deciding between different opportunities.
Update: Bruce himself has apologized with an email stating that he understand his wrong-doings and he begged for fo… https://t.co/N8wF9lL4lN
She added that he has asked her to thank everyone for their support, and that she was very happy to "to shine a light to this serious problem of workplace discrimination."
UPDATE
A spokesperson for Dash Delivery LLC confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Peterson's employment had indeed been terminated, adding that his email was "inexcusable."
The spokesperson said the tone and nature of the email was disrespectful and didn't reflect what the company stands for.
"Our company values diversity. Our drivers represent a broad range of backgrounds," the spokesperson said, adding that the company welcomes all applicants regardless of who they are or where they are from.