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Walmart Pulls ‘Juneteenth’-Flavored Ice Cream Off Shelves

REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Walmart reportedly announced Monday it would pull its “Juneteenth”-flavored ice cream off the shelves amid backlash that it is “disrespectful.”

The mega-corporation recently released the red velvet and cheesecake “Juneteenth”-flavored ice cream.

“Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope,” the label reportedly read.

The new product immediately drew backlash from Twitter users, with one user calling it “disrespectful and greedy.”

Another user slammed Walmart for corporate greed.

“What makes this soo bad and has me furious is, it’s not that #Walmart is tone deaf, it’s just as you said, they’re trying to profit off of Black people once again, as if we don’t already give them enough of our money. Their blatant disrespect is infuriating.”

Correspondent for “The Daily Show,” Roy Wood Jr., joked, “would you like some Juneteenth Ice cream on a Juneteenth plates as you sip your beer in a Juneteenth Koozie?”

Following the outcry, Walmart issued an apology, according to Fox LA.

“Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence,” the company reportedly said. “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, celebrated on June 19, marks the abolition of slavery in the U.S. The day commemorates the end of slavery in Texas, where enslaved persons weren’t emancipated until two years after Abraham Lincoln gave his Emancipation Proclamation. (RELATED: Harvard To Shell Out $100 Million To ‘Redress’ Its ‘Legacies With Slavery’)

President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021 after the bill overwhelmingly passed in the House.