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Walmart Pulls 'Juneteenth' Ice Cream After Complaints
After their red velvet and cheesecake-flavored 'Juneteenth' ice cream garnered negative backlash, Walmart has recalled the product.
Walmart has pulled the plug on Juneteenth. After images of the store's Great Value Brand 'Juneteenth' “Celebration Edition” ice cream went viral, social media users criticized the product, flavored with a swirl of red velvet and cheesecake "Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope," the label read.
\u201ccapitalism is awesome\u201d— BORG (@BORG) 1653310430
On Monday, Fox News Austin reported that Walmart has pulled the ice cream from their stores.
"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."
Since the ice cream went viral, some have promoted Black-owned ice cream brand Creamalicious, which is sold in select Walmart stores.
\u201c*seen on facebook*\n\nIf you\u2019re at Walmart and you\u2019re thinking about buying the one on the left. Take a few seconds to look for and buy the one on the right. They are the same flavor except Creamalicious Ice Creams is black owned.\u201d— Queen Jayy \ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc51\u2728 (@Queen Jayy \ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udc51\u2728) 1653323389
Juneteeth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived to Galveston, Texas to deliver enslaved Black people the news of their freedom. The announcement took place two months after the Confederacy had surrendered and 2 1/2 years after 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in Southern states.
In 2021, current President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth National Independence Day into law, honoring it as a federal holiday.
"The truth is, it’s not — simply not enough just to commemorate Juneteenth," Biden said during his Juneteenth remarks. "After all, the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans didn’t mark the end of America’s work to deliver on the promise of equality; it only marked the beginning.
