A racist slur on an oil change sticker led to an unbelievable act of kindness

When 33-year-old Mikayala Starks took her vehicle for a routine oil change at Kunes Buick GMC in Oak Creek, she was left devastated by an employee's hateful act.

As she recalled to PEOPLE, it wasn't until later that day that she looked at the service sticker and made a shocking discovery. “While they were supposed to be servicing my car, an employee typed up a racial slur [the n-word] and put it in the comment section of my oil change sticker,” Starks said.

The blatant racism left her stunned. Starks said she "cried for 20 minutes” in her car.

A frustrated woman at a car dealershipCanva

After the issue was brought to the dealership's attention, the company took action. Kunes Buick GMC fired the employee and issued both a personal and a public apology. In a post on Instagram, the company was unequivocal.

“We want to be unequivocal: this behavior and the hateful sentiment it implies are absolutely against our values as a company. There is no place for racism or discrimination within our dealership or community,” the post read. The company also offered Starks “credits for future services at all locations” and vowed to reinforce its values with all staff.

But the story didn't end there. As news of the incident spread, it reached Ramzey Rizk, the owner of a different dealership, Family Nissan, in Inwood. Rizk felt compelled to do something.

“How can we help this person? How can we add more voices to her voice?” Rizk said he wondered. He saw the community expressing its support for Starks and wanted to contribute in a meaningful way.

Bee Arthur gif asking "What do you want from me?" via Giphy

“And then you hear somebody say, ‘Let’s give her a free car.’ And then you hear somebody say, ‘Not just any car, an electric car,’” Rizk recalled.

The reasoning behind the specific vehicle was both practical and symbolic. “And then I ask, ‘Why an electric car?’ And they said, ‘Well, because she never has to get an oil change again,’” he remarked.

Rizk and his team presented Starks with a brand new, electric Nissan Leaf. When Starks first heard from her attorney about an "offer," she assumed it was just another request for a media interview.

Footage captured by News 12 showed Starks completely baffled and overwhelmed by the gesture. The incident, which began with a painful act of racism, was transformed by an unexpected wave of community support.

“After this incident with the Kunes dealership, I could absolutely walk around with the attitude that people are terrible and nobody likes me," Starks concluded. "[But instead], I’m just trying to focus on people who are supportive and any good that has come out of this.”

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This article originally appeared earlier this year.