Some shoppers balk at retailers peddling new 'Juneteenth' merchandise
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[June 20, 2022] By
Arriana McLymore
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer
Kohl's is offering gray, green and red "Juneteenth 1865" tank tops and
t-shirts for juniors and boys for $23.99. JCPenney.com hopes to lure
shoppers with dozens of wall hangings featuring abstract graphic designs
and silhouettes of Black women, priced at $60 to $160 apiece.
In the first big push to commercialize Juneteenth, commemorated by Black
people for generations as the day in 1865 when a Union general informed
a group of enslaved people in Texas that they were free, a handful of
major retailers are rolling out merchandise.
But some of the goods, from cotton tank tops with red, yellow and green
U.S. flags, to lawn accessories featuring slogans such as "Freedom," are
raising eyebrows among shoppers who accuse retailers of exploiting
Juneteenth to cash in on President Joe Biden making June 19 a federal
holiday in 2021.
In May, Walmart began marketing pints of a new "Celebrated Edition" red
velvet and cheesecake Juneteenth Ice Cream until complaints surfaced on
Twitter, prompting Walmart to remove it.
"Just saw Pride and Juneteenth ice cream at Walmart I think we're in the
bad place," one Twitter user posted on June 11.
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Walmart said in a statement in May that the retailer had "received
feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers." The
retailer apologized and said it will remove items as appropriate.
Walmart.com also sells an array of children's books on the history of
Juneteenth, as well as dozens of t-shirts.
Dollar Tree also drew criticism on social media for selling Juneteenth
party decorations in non-traditional colors in May. The decorations are
manufactured by vendors who aren't descendants of slaves themselves,
according to the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants, an
advocacy group that supports reparations for Black American descendants
of slavery. Dollar Tree did not immediately return an email seeking
comment.
PROMOTE BLACK VENDORS
Connie Ross, vice president and chair of diversity, equity and inclusion
at Empower consultancy, said Walmart and other brands should use the
holiday to promote Black vendors.
"Juneteenth was not born out of a pretty story, but give it time, and
people are going to find a way to associate it with something positive,"
Ross said.
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![](../images/062022PIX/busine49.jpg)
People take pictures with a new mural in honor of Juneteenth, which
commemorates the end of slavery in Texas, two years after the 1863
Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves elsewhere in the United
States, in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 2021. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Jun/20/images/ads/current/graue_22SILVERADO_061822.png)
Ross expects more companies to "soften" the meaning of Juneteenth by avoiding
its connections to the history of slavery.
Liz Rogers, a Black founder of Creamalicious ice creams which are sold in
Walmart, Target and Kroger, said that none of her retail customers contacted her
for Juneteenth partnerships or events and that she often has to pitch companies
to get on their shelves.
JCPenney's Chief Merchandising Officer Michelle Wlazlo said the company is
donating any net profits from the sales of its Juneteenth merchandise to Unity
Unlimited, a non-profit that says it helps communities "overcome racial and
cultural division." Wlazlo said JCPenney looks at customer feedback, traditional
retail holidays and other factors to determine promotional events.
Brian Packer of public relations agency Golin said that brands looking to tap
into Juneteenth should find ways to elevate products and services made by people
in those communities. He said it is more complex than "putting a Black Power
Fist on something."
Alternatively, there also can be drawbacks to messages that are too subtle. In
the product questions area of JCPenney.com's $30 Masterpiece Art Gallery
Juneteenth Framed Canvas Art, a series of orange shapes against a white
background, one person asked: "What does this have to do with Juneteenth?"
Target, whose headquarters are in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by
police, first acknowledged Juneteenth in 2020 as an official annual company
holiday after the spread of national protests against police brutality. The
company has provided internal resources detailing the history of Juneteenth and
a list of community events for employees to participate in. Workers also can
take the day off or work for overtime pay, it said.
(Reporting by Arriana McLymore; editing by Grant McCool)
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