NEW YORK, June 19 (Reuters) – Kohl’s Clothing Retailer (KSS.N) is offering gray, green and red “Juneteenth 1865” T-shirts and T-shirts for youth and children for $ 23.99. JCPenney.com hopes to attract buyers with dozens of tapestries with abstract graphic designs and silhouettes of black women, priced at $ 60 to $ 160 each.
In the first big push to market Juneteenth, commemorated by blacks for generations as the day 1865 when a Union general informed a group of slaves in Texas that they were free, a handful of large retailers are throwing goods.
But some of the products, from cotton shirts with red, yellow and green U.S. flags, to lawn accessories with slogans like “Freedom,” are waking up the old ones among shoppers who accuse retailers of exploiting Juneteenth to remove benefit of President Joe Biden in June. 19 a federal holiday in 2021.
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In May, Walmart (WMT.N) began marketing pints of a new “Celebrated Edition” red velvet ice cream and Juneteenth cheesecake until complaints surfaced on Twitter, prompting Walmart to remove it.
“I just saw Pride and Juneteenth ice cream at Walmart, I think we’re in a bad place,” a Twitter user posted on June 11th.
Walmart said in a statement in May that the retailer had “received comments that some items were of concern to some of our customers.” The retailer apologized and said he will remove the items if necessary.
Walmart.com also sells a wide variety of children’s books on the history of Juneteenth, as well as dozens of t-shirts.
Dollar Tree (DLTR.O) also sparked criticism on social media for selling Juneteenth holiday decorations in non-traditional colors in May. The decorations are made by vendors who are not descendants of the same slaves, according to the National Assembly of Descendants of American Slavery, a defense group that supports repairs for descendants of American black slavery. Dollar Tree did not immediately return an email requesting feedback.
ENCOURAGE BLACK SELLERS
Connie Ross, vice president and president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Empower Consulting, said Walmart and other brands should take advantage of the holidays to promote black marketers.
“Juneteenth wasn’t born from a beautiful story, but give it time and people will find a way to associate it with something positive,” Ross said.
Ross hopes more companies will “soften” the meaning of Juneteenth by avoiding its connections to the history of slavery.
Liz Rogers, a black founder of Creamalicious Ice Cream sold at Walmart, Target (TGT.N) and Kroger (KR.N), said none of her retail customers contacted her for Juneteenth partnerships or events and that she often you have to do it. present companies to put on their shelves.
JCPenney’s chief marketing officer, Michelle Wlazlo, said the company was donating the net proceeds from the sales of its Juneteenth merchandise to Unity Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that says it helps communities “overcome racial division and cultural “. Wlazlo said JCPenney analyzes customer feedback, traditional retail vacations and other factors to determine promotional events.
Brian Packer, of the public relations agency Golin, said that brands that want to take advantage of Juneteenth should find ways to elevate the products and services made by people in these communities. He said it’s more complex than “putting a Black Power Fist on something.”
Alternatively, there may also be drawbacks to overly subtle messages. In the questions area about JCPenney.com’s $ 30 Juneteenth Art Gallery product gallery, a series of orange shapes on a white background, one person asked, “What has this got to do with Juneteenth? ? “
Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police, first recognized Juneteenth in 2020 as the company’s official annual celebration following the spread of national protests against brutality. police. The company has provided internal resources detailing Juneteenth’s history and a list of community events for employees to participate in. Workers can also take days off or work to pay overtime, he said.
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Report by Arriana McLymore; edited by Grant McCool
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