Retail giant Walmart has apologized after receiving backlash for selling ice cream that was themed on the Juneteenth holiday. The news was published by CNN, NBC News, Fox Business, and others.
The product was named Great Value Celebration Edition Juneteenth Ice Cream. Juneteenth takes place on June 19. According to Britannica.com, the federal holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
On May 22, a Twitter user tweeted a photograph of the product and asked, "What in the Walmart world is this?" The picture appeared to first come from a user named @ElectrisJones:
The side of the Juneteenth ice cream carton read, "Our Story: Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope." Its flavoring was described as "swirled red velvet and cheesecake flavored ice cream."
We reached out to Walmart about the Juneteenth ice cream and received a statement from a spokesperson. It read: "Juneteenth holiday marks a commemoration and 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."