Walmart Juneteenth Ice Cream Pulled Following Backlash And Memes On Social Media

Superstore chain Walmart has pulled a Juneteenth-themed flavor of ice cream from its shelves following a backlash on Sunday and Monday from social media users who viewed the Juneteenth promotion as tacky and exploitative.

The ice cream flavor went viral following pictures that a shopper, Facebook user Electris Jones, posted from a Walmart in North Carolina on Saturday night.

The flavor of the ice cream was red velvet swirled with cheesecake. The packaging of the ice cream featured clasping hands and a pan-African-flag-inspired color palette. It was strikingly similar to the packaging of Walmart’s Pride Month flavor of ice cream.

They ain’t gave neither 40 acres nor a mule, but they got #Juneteenth jokes for days.Same design template for pride as well. Smh pic.twitter.com/w3jjgPy9zK

— Shauntrice Martin (she/her) (@ShauntriceLove) May 23, 2022

Many posters on social media networks like Twitter pointed to Creamalicious, a Black-owned ice cream brand that also produces a red velvet and cheesecake swirl flavor. Some alleged Walmart had copied its flavor from Creamalicious.

Instead of the Great Value Juneteenth appropriation ice cream, you can get Creamalicious Ice Cream, a black owned ice cream company, at Walmart and Target. pic.twitter.com/eSDcOBdfeQ

— Kristian A. Smith (@kristiansmith02) May 23, 2022

Walmart literally saw a successful small Black business and thought they could get away with stealing their flavor and re-branding it for Juneteenth. Anyways, Creamalicious is available at Target. pic.twitter.com/y3DyzpYtGv

— A is for Afro (@Amberisms_) May 23, 2022

A Juneteenth-themed display of paper plates, napkins and utensils also drew the ire of commenters online, who found it tasteless — especially the slogan “It’s the freedom for me” written on napkins.

Comedian and The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. also made fun of the display and the increasing commercialization of Juneteenth in a tweet, leading to further spread of the story online.

Would you like some Juneteenth Ice cream on a Juneteenth plate as you sip your beer in a Juneteenth Koozie? pic.twitter.com/VCDpfOgYro

— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) May 23, 2022

Prob was better when the world aint acknowledge it cuz "ITS THE FREEDOM FOR ME" is wild dawg lol pic.twitter.com/MjyRLGwj41

— WHATEVERYOUWANN (@DRWANNLUTHAKING) May 23, 2022

Some found the Walmart Juneteenth promotion to be yet another example of Black culture being exploited for corporate profits.

I was so focused on the ice cream flavor, I didn’t even realized the ™️ on the container. Them crackas trademarked the name JUNETEENTH??? pic.twitter.com/wf46Js3Png

— Blue eyes hate account (@Fiyasohollywood) May 24, 2022

If you're a giant corporation selling Juneteenth branded products but your black employees have to work on Juneteenth…… pic.twitter.com/jkfFJlfAl1

— firegodx (@Fire_Ice_Pain) May 23, 2022

Sorry, Sally they’re all out of Great Value Juneteenth ice cream. pic.twitter.com/CYf3TblaOu

— Ma Rainey's Black Ass Bottom Line (@lawgurrl) May 24, 2022

Juneteenth marketing thread… but where is our reparations? pic.twitter.com/An7LJ5tHH3

— Goddess ✨ (@tianaboo33) May 23, 2022

In a statement made to Fox, Walmart "sincerely apologized" for the offending products and said it would review and remove its Juneteenth offerings. But as the new national holiday approaches next month, this likely won’t be the last time a company tries to sell products capitalizing on the celebration.