Back in 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday. The bill that was signed commemorated the end of slavery in the United States. Even though it’s about centering Black folks, that hasn’t stopped companies from getting it wrong. From white people on flyers to questionable desserts, here are a few times businesses got Juneteenth wrong.
Walmart found themselves in hot water last year when they released “Celebration Edition: Juneteenth Ice Cream” under its Great Value label. The caption on the red velvet-flavored ice cream stated: “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope.” Not only was it thoughtless but downright tacky. Walmart eventually said sorry and took the dessert off its shelves.
“Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence,” a spokesperson for the company explained. “However, we received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate.”
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis distributed a watermelon salad last year in their food court during a Juneteenth Jamboree and faced backlash on social media for it. Black folks did use watermelons after winning their emancipation during the Civil War and grew, sold and ate them. However, the fruit became a racist trope for white people to deem Black people dirty and lazy. The museum took accountability for their actions.
“As a museum, we apologize and acknowledge the negative impact that stereotypes have on communities of color,” the statement read. “The salad has been removed from the menu. We are currently reviewing how we may best convey these stories and traditions during this year’s Juneteenth celebration as well as making changes around how future food selections are made by our food service provider.”
In addition to their Juneteenth ice cream faux pas, Walmart also decided to cash in on the holiday by offering cheap decorations like paper plates and napkins. The latter had the phrase “It’s the freedom for me” written in pan African flag colors, as did the rest of the merchandise. This was definitely not the move.
An IKEA in Atlanta tried their best to commemorate Juneteenth with a special menu, but it offended their Black employees so much that several of them walked off the job.
“To honor the perseverance of Black Americans and acknowledge the progress yet to be made, we observe Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19, 2021,” an email acquired by TMZ said, which was sent to employees.
“Look out for a special menu on Saturday which will include: fried chicken, watermelon, mac n cheese, potato salad, collard greens, candied yams.” The store’s manager later apologized in an internal email.
A town in South Carolina used a white couple on a Juneteenth banner to advertise local events and felt the heat from it. Juneteenth GVL’s June “mega fest” was an attempt to celebrate the diversity in Greenville but quickly went left once one of the banners promoting it was revealed. The organizers of the event eventually apologized but insisted on not leaving anyone out. The banners were also replaced.
Like other stores, Dollar Tree couldn’t wait to capitalize on Juneteenth once it became a federal holiday in 2021. From cups and plates to plastic dinnerware and balloons, the chain received backlash once images of the merch floated online. We’re sure this year won’t be much different.
Whether it’s street shops in Los Angeles or big retail chains like Amazon, Juneteenth apparel is quite the popular commodity. The problem with selling shirts like these are exploitative culturally and financially. If you want to get your hands on some Juneteenth swag, make sure to at least buy Black.
Back in 2021, Old Navy embarrassed themselves after a leaked pitch email was sent to 300 Black influencers asking them to participate in an upcoming Juneteenth campaign. Not only were the influencers asked to post themselves in branded Juneteenth shirts, but they had to buy it themselves. After it was discovered Black influencers were offered significantly less payment than white influencers, Old Navy suspended the campaign.
Many stores decided to place pan African labels on wine bottles and call it Juneteenth party favors. Like the ice cream and the shirts and the napkins and plates, Juneteenth wine is motivated by one thing: profits.