People Are Calling Out Companies Trying To Profit Off Of Juneteenth — Yes, The Holiday Celebrating The End Of Slavery
Can I be honest with you? The idea of Joe Biden signing a bill recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday used to be exciting to me.
With the new addition to the calendar, we'd get a day off work to celebrate instead of having to take time off, and more people would recognize this significant part of Black history. But thinking more about the reality versus the fantasy, I should have realized that nothing is safe from a cash grab.
Juneteenth is a moniker for June 19, a day in 1865 when — two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation — federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to free the last enslaved people in the United States.
In my personal experience, it had seemed like, until recently, many outside of the Black community had no idea this holiday existed. Now, with mainstream culture adopting the day for its own use, people online have begun wishing things had stayed that way.
The most recent uproar came when white-owned companies like Walmart began advertising Juneteenth products — or, should I say, products with stereotypical Black signatures slapped on top of them — like these party plates and napkins:
Walmart is selling Juneteenth party supplies... Yall buying them? 👀
First of all, using red, green, yellow, and black honor the Pan African flag — which, yes, does symbolize liberation for Black Americans, but the colors have also been adopted by nations across the diaspora. If you want to celebrate Juneteenth specifically, this is the flag for it below, which would take any designer two seconds to Google search if they cared to accurately commemorate the holiday:
For those that DO NOT know. The #Juneteenth flag is NOT green, red, brown, yellow or whatever. I hate to break it to you, but it’s red, white, and blue…
And second... "It's the freedom for me"? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, would say this. They may as well have thrown the word freedom into an AAVE word scrambler and used whatever came out.
(Some tired graphic designer creating a last-minute Juneteenth sketch by Googling, "How do kids talk these days?")
No one asked for this.
Who told corporations we wanted Juneteenth merch from them?
Then came the ice cream. Walmart launched their Juneteenth ice cream, leading me to wonder how one decides that red velvet and cheesecake is the official taste of freedom.
More importantly, though, people online pointed out that by selling their own "Juneteenth products," companies like Walmart are simply padding their bulging $573-billion-per-year pockets. Instead, management could have chosen to highlight Black-owned brands on their shelves, which would help businesses run by the descendants of those they say they wish to recognize.
I don’t know who needs to read this but… do not buy any Juneteenth products and items from corporations who don’t give af about Black people. Shop Black.
It's borderline insulting.
Black people really said stop killing us and America was like “how about some Juneteenth ice cream instead?”
However, after being mercilessly dragged on Twitter, Walmart did decide to pull their Juneteenth ice cream and released the following statement to Fox television stations: "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. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate."
So, I guess there's that.
VH1 / Via giphy.com
Though a reminder should not be needed, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery — the end of Black people being physically, mentally, and emotionally manipulated and abused for free labor. So, it's not hard to see why white-owned companies trying to profit off Black people in honor of this tragedy is not appropriate.
The sad thing about Juneteenth becoming a national holiday is that a bunch of folks will profit off of it and most of them won’t be Black. That knife twist hurts.
To put it simply:
Dear corporations: #Juneteenth merch is not the move.
If you'd like to celebrate Juneteenth, start by learning its history. Then, support a Black-owned business or donate to an organization aimed at making a difference. (Below are a few of my personal faves.) Or you could even just enjoy a barbecue and celebrate at home.
If you'd like, you can donate to: The Bail Project, Equal Justice Initiative, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Black Girl Therapy, and/or The Audre Lord Project.
Happy Juneteenth!
