Walmart Sorry for Juneteenth Ice Cream Following Twitter Backlash | Eater
"A national retail chain drew widespread criticism after rolling out a Juneteenth-themed product line — including plates, napkins, drink koozies emblazoned with “It’s the freedom for me,” and a red-velvet-and-cream-cheese ice cream touted to "share and celebrate African American culture" — that shoppers widely mocked on social media. The company apologized, said it would review the assortment and remove items as appropriate, and framed the holiday as a celebration of freedom. Observers highlighted the irony of using the Pan-African black-red-green color scheme (symbolizing blood shed, Black people, and Africa’s fertility) to market merchandise while the retailer faces longstanding criticisms over labor and racial equity: allegations of discrimination and customer profiling, concentration of Black workers in lower-paying hourly roles, a disparity between 28% Black new hires versus 13% of promotions to management, historically low wages (minimum raised to $12/hour in 2021), reduced paid time off for COVID-positive employees, limited paid maternity leave for part-timers, and restructuring that created heavier workloads — all set against the company’s massive pandemic-era revenues. Critics described the episode as an instance of performative corporate activism that adopted slogans and colors without addressing systemic workforce and equity issues." - Madeleine Davies
