Walmart found itself in hot water after an attempt to co-opt the Juneteenth holiday—a move designed to sell red-velvet-and-cheesecake ice cream. After outrage erupted on social media when a photo of the ice cream went viral, the company has been forced to apologize and remove the offending dessert.
“Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope,” the packaging read, according to The Hill.
Walmart has promised to “remove items as appropriate,” according to a statement to Fox Television Stations, adding that the “Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence. However, we received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize."
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“It’s problematic when white-owned brands and companies treat Juneteenth as another commercialized (co-opt) opportunity void of any commitments to the [African American] community, change, or simple understanding of what Juneteenth is,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another user on Twitter pointed out that the idea of Juneteenth ice cream is as offensive as one named after the Holocaust, and it highlights the need to hire “diverse perspectives.”
Walmart was founded by Samuel Walton in 1962. Today, the company’s largest shareholders are descendants of its founder and members of the Walton family, CBS News reports. Donations exceeding $1.3 million from the Walton family went to supporting Republican candidates in the 2020 federal elections, and though the Walmart corporation has insisted it’s making changes internally—even going so far as to hire an entire department to focus on the company’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion policies—America’s largest corporation and the world’s largest private employer also has a long history of catering to racists.
Juneteenth celebrates the day the last enslaved people in America were emancipated, marking the end of slavery in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally freed—about two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1963.
President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday in June of 2021.
“All Americans can feel the power of this day, and learn from our history,” Biden said at the time.
According to CBS News, several people shared alternative options on Twitter for consumers who want to mark the holiday by supporting a Black-owned ice cream company—especially a company like Creamalicious, founded by Chef Liz Rogers. Creamalicious is “one of the only African American-owned national ice cream brands in mass production,” the website reads, adding that “Chef Liz crafts her blissfully Southern artisan desserts by celebrating her roots and community.”