Walmart has pulled a Juneteenth-themed ice cream flavor from shelves after facing a considerable public backlash, with critics accusing the retailer of cultural appropriation and inappropriate commercialism.
On Monday, Walmart decided to withdraw an ice cream from its food label Great Value for Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of black slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. In recent years, the holiday has seen new popularity as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement and the growing centrality of racial issues in the progressive movement. Last year, President Joe Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth (officially “Juneteenth National Independence Day”) as a federal holiday.
