Angela Peters frequently shops at Walmart in Burton, Michigan, all the time. On this particular day she decided she wanted a manicure, and popped into the independently owned salon inside the Walmart to ask for one. But Peters, who has cerebral palsy, was refused service.
“When I went in there they denied me because they said I moved too much,” Peters told local news station WNEM.
That’s when Ebony Harris, a cashier at that Walmart, noticed that Peters was upset and offered to help.
“I found out what happened and I just asked her, ‘do you want me to do your nails?’ And she just started smiling and said yeah,” Harris said. So Harris bought a few bottles of nail polish and she and Peters sat at the Subway restaurant inside the store to paint her nails.
Stasia Smith, an employee at the Subway, took some photos of the touching moment, which have since gone viral on Facebook.
In the photos, Harris is concentrating on carefully painting Peters’ nails, and Peters is clearly thrilled. The simple act of kindness made her very happy and has touched people’s hearts around the world.
Afterwards, both women said they don’t want negative repercussions for the nail salon. In a post to Facebook, Peters said she forgives the employees there, and hopes people who see her story reflect on the challenges people with disabilities face.
“I don’t want anyone fired, I just educate people that people with different challenges like being in a wheelchair, we can have our own business and get our nails done like anyone else,” she wrote.
As for Harris, she says that she and Peters knew each other before this. She is surprised by all the attention and modest about receiving accolades for her kind deed.
During a radio show appearance, the hosts offered to do “something beautiful” for Harris. She went on to explain her reason for helping Peters had nothing to do with rewards.
“I don’t…that’s fine,” she said. “The reason why I did it was because God told me to do it. I’m a spiritual person. I’m not perfect. I have my flaws. I have my own issues. But my heart goes out to people who are in need.”
The hosts ended up giving Harris a pair of tickets to see Beyoncé and Jay Z perform.
Since Harris’ act of kindness, Peters says that she, Harris and Smith plan to meet again in the future.
“I’m making new friends at Walmart as well and they get to see my abilities too,” Peters said. “So it’s awesome.”