A Target store in St. Paul came under fire for their Juneteenth display in their employee break room which had hot sauce, red Kool-Aid, and watermelon. Someone, presumably an employee, shared photos of the display on social media, leading to public backlash. One of the public comments called “every single Target employee who thought that the display represented Juneteenth,” racist.
According to a TikTok video, it “displayed stereotypes” of Black people. Many called for Target to do better on social media. One of the social media posts shared in the video said, “To start off, red Kool-Aid to symbolize the blood of those murdered from hate crimes and police brutality.”
Hey @Target, this you? pic.twitter.com/tJoVqJFCoz
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) June 24, 2021
A human resources manager at the Target store in St. Paul set up the display, but it was removed after workers said it was offensive. The official statement from Target read that, “One of our team members created this display to try and teach about Juneteenth, but it missed the mark and we’re sorry that it was insensitive. We’ve taken the display down, talked to the team member who was involved and will use it as a moment of education for our team.” Many responded to the Tweet, saying that it was not enough.
One Twitter user replied that, “I don’t know the motives of the people that set up this table, but red Kool-Aid and red drinks/foods are a legit part of many Juneteenth celebrations including a few I’ve been to in the past.” According to the Black Restaurant Week, in an article that discusses the holiday, “Juneteenth was sparked by barbecue, watermelon, and red drinks.”
https://twitter.com/knolaust/status/1407875196606992384
– – –
Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network and The College Fix. She graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Target” by Mike Mozart CC2.0.
