Walmart issued an apology and vowed to remove its Juneteenth-themed flavored ice cream from shelves following customers' outcry online.
A photo of the ice cream began circulating on Twitter, promoting social media users to call out the retail giant for what they say was an attempt at the capitalist commodification of a sacred holiday.
"Share and celebrate African American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope," the packaging of the red velvet cheesecake-flavored ice cream reads under "Our Story."
Walmart released a statement to FOX Television Stations indicating it would be pulling the flavor from shelves.
"Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence. However, we received feedback that a few of our items caused concern for our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate," the retailer promised.
Twitter users responded to the flavor while also highlighting So Creamalicious, the Black woman-owned ice cream brand currently available online at https://www.socreamalicious.com, Walmart, Target, and more. The brand was founded by Chef Liz Rogers and features dreamy flavors including the signature Right as Rain Red Velvet Cheesecake.
Other Twitter users noted America's troubled history with ice cream and racism –– including the fact that Black people across the South were barred from eating vanilla ice cream, which is why many of our elders' go-to ice cream flavors include butter pecan.
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