After images of Walmart’s Juneteenth Ice Cream, which was “swirled red velvet and cheesecake flavored,” surfaced online, social media was ablaze with criticism. “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope,” said the quote on the side of the carton.
Businesses in the United States’ capitalistic economy are profit-driven, so any opportunity to profit from a federal holiday will be seized. The most disturbing aspect is that the ice cream company, Balchem, trademarked “Juneteenth” in 2021 the same year it was declared an official federal holiday.
Although Balchem trademarked the holiday, according to Because Of Them We Can (BOTWC) and CultureTags founder Eunique Jones Gibson, their company is far from diverse and inclusive:
“Perhaps they have a strong commitment to diversity & have pledged their financial support to the AA community as well? However, there is no diversity amongst their leadership team. There are no Black leaders on their website nor are there any Black members on their board.”
Walmart apologized for the item and informed the public that the ice cream would be removed from its stores in a 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.”
Juneteenth’s commodification is reminiscent of Kwanzaa’s commodification in the 1990s. Apparently, all you have to do is give products with Pan-African colors to know the holiday is about Black people.
Walmart is notorious for selling low-quality products at low prices to customers. It has also been chastised for years for paying unlivable wages, providing inhumane working conditions, and providing insufficient health care to its employees.