By Angela Buckner
JA Contributing Writer
At the end of the 2024 school year, a social media post went viral of a Burger King crew in Clinton, Mississippi. According to Shakayla Dixon, “The intention of the original social media post was to drive a positive message about how these young men would not be around the house on the couch. They would make money the right way.” Needless to say, the intent of the message was taken negatively. Dixon was contacted by those in management of Burger King and fired.
“Burger King has always been a family-friendly company. I was caught off guard because I ran the entire hiring process by my manager. They later told me that there was a discrepancy in the pay of the new crew, but I never thought it would lead to this.”
Shortly after being fired people like Nick Cannon and John Hope Bryant of Hope Ministries have taken to social media seeking for some of their friends to put this mother in touch with them in an effort to afford her better opportunities and have gainful employment.
Prior to celebrities trying to contact her, Dixon set up a GoFundMe entitled, “Teenage boy goes viral for referring friends at Burger King and got them summer jobs,”which was set up on July 10, 2024 due to the job loss. Three days into the job for the new crew she said she asked if there would be a problem so she could rectify the situation on the front end. She claimed that she was told no and never thought twice about it after getting approval from those in authority.
When asked what her desired outcome is she stated, “I want my job back or recommendations for another opportunity. Burger King has always been a family friendly company. We have pictures of others like mother-daughter employees and we never thought anything of it.”
Dixon said she had been at the company for about seven years, but at this particular Clinton location for approximately 10 months. She stated that prior to the viral incident, a manager came from Madison to work her store who she alleged brought her own daughter along who served in the capacity of a crew member.
“I felt there would some type of retaliation soon as the new person came in as assistant manager. I didn’t have any problems before then. I’m told the daughter is now fired and that since this has happened, several people have been fired because corporate office caught wind of the whole ordeal. The pay for the new crew was $10.25. The last paycheck for the guys was only $133.”
Going back to the GoFundMe, the description on the fundraising platform further states, “…I received a phone call yesterday from my district leader, area manager on a 3-way call stating they didn’t want to turn something good into something bad, but they had concerns. The concerns were me having my son working for me, me paying the boys the required pay (the same as every new hire gets paid) and the amount of hours worked weekly.
“These boys along with myself and upper management were so excited to shine the light on the youth, the company, and our community, but now, where do we go from here?”
She goes onto explain they are all in disbelief. The details of the narrative are very lengthy, but heartfelt. She reiterated, “I lost my job at a very challenging time in my life. I have a mortgage to pay. We were in the middle of a heatwave and my children are scheduled to be back to school in August. I thank the Lord for the many donations that have come through for us. The money will help with school clothing and other necessary items.”
The ultimate monetary goal for the fundraiser is set for $35,000. So far, $10,395 has been collected with 347 individuals donating.That fundraiser has since been shutdown and the crew divided was given $2000 each which is a little more than what they would have made for the summer.
A new GoFundMe Campaign has been launched specifically for Dixon and her family entitled, “Support Mom After Burger King in Clinton, MS.” The goal for this new campaign has been set for $9,000 where $220 has been raised from 11 donors. For those looking to contact Dixon, call (601)642.5809 or email at shakayla_dixon17@yahoo.com
