Walmart pulls Juneteenth ice cream from shelves. Walmart decided to create a Juneteenth ice cream to celebrate (capitalize cough cough) the holiday. The Juneteenth ice cream was ‘unique’ in that it was ice cream with red velvet and cheesecake swirl to ‘commemorate’ the holiday.
Juneteenth Ice Cream Controversy Explained
Walmart received extreme backlash from the Juneteenth ice cream for many reasons. First off, Juneteenth is a time for Black/African Americans to celebrate the official end of slavery. While slaves were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, slaves in Texas didn’t know they were free until federal troops came in to enforce it on June 19, 1865. Though slavery was not completely abolished until the 13th Amendment, which came six months later, Juneteenth has come to symbolize the end of slavery, according to NBC News. Secondly, not many people even knew about Juneteenth until it became a national holiday on June 15, 2021.
Senate just passed a bill establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Schumer asked for unanimous consent and no senator objected
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) June 15, 2021
So, for Walmart to make an ice cream flavor to capitalize on the holiday, it’s culturally insensitive. Lastly, to add insult to injury, Walmart added a trademark symbol next to Juneteeth on their ice cream, which makes Walmart not only insensitive but greedy AF.
Juneteenth — which officially falls on June 19 — marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Black people in Texas were freed with the arrival of federal troops, nearly two-and-a-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Though slavery was not completely abolished until the 13th Amendment, which came six months later, Juneteenth has come to symbolize the end of slavery.
capitalism is awesome pic.twitter.com/QIzWBbnkSO
— mullet o’brien (@borgposting) May 23, 2022
Juneteenth™ is a flavor enhancer pic.twitter.com/KcsUlseJmu
— mullet o’brien (@borgposting) May 23, 2022
Social Media Reactions
Social media did not respond well to Walmart’s Juneteenth ice cream.
They never stop playing in our faces! #juneteenth #juneteenthicecream pic.twitter.com/DLzv1rpTui
— Not THEEOne ✊🏾🌻 (@MrRightNow215) May 23, 2022
Nobody who doesn’t want to talk about or acknowledge the horrors of slavery should have the audacity to celebrate #Juneteenth.
— MLDwrites (@MichelleDuster) May 23, 2022
We said we want the reparations we are owed. They gave us Representatives kneeling in Kente cloth, ice cream and party decorations.#Juneteenth
— Dr. Openly Excessively Black & Disabled (She/Her) (@4WheelWorkOut) May 23, 2022
Dear corporations: #Juneteenth merch is not the move.
— Nicole Theodore, Esq. (@AttorneyNicole) May 23, 2022
They ain’t gave neither 40 acres nor a mule, but they got #Juneteenth jokes for days.
Same design template for pride as well. Smh pic.twitter.com/w3jjgPy9zK— Shauntrice Martin (she/her) (@ShauntriceLove) May 23, 2022
Can you imagine a company creating an ice cream flavor commemorating the end of the Holocaust? Companies should really think through how they recognize #Juneteenth.
This is why it’s important to hire diverse perspectives.
— Denise Adusei 🇧🇷🇨🇻 (@DeniseLit4Kids) May 23, 2022
Due to the social media backlash, Walmart decided to pull the Juneteenth ice cream from the shelves with an official statement sent to Fox Television stations.
“Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence,” the company said in a statement to FOX Television Stations. “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.”
A Twitter user also claimed that Walmart allegedly stole the Juneteenth ice cream idea from a black-owned ice cream business and didn’t give the originator proper credit.
#Walmart saw the success of this Black owned ice cream brand, & decided to steal her ideals, trademark it, & profit off of it.
That was their plan, but We The People stood up! A few hrs ago, they decided to pull their ice cream due to social media uproar.
Juneteenth#Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/NNTiyDjXKA— 𝓒𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮 𝓕𝓲𝓸𝓼𝓪 🏴🇲🇽 (@DFiosa) May 24, 2022
Needless to say, the Juneteenth ice cream was a $h!t show and people are happy that it’s being pulled from Walmart’s shelves. What are your thoughts on Walmart’s Juneteenth ice cream? Leave a comment below.
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