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Before a new wave of civil rights demonstrations swept the country before Congress held its 11th federal holiday, Brenda Hampton was already in business.
She has been selling flags at Etsy’s June 19th since 2019, convinced that her neighbors and others will want memories of the day marking the end of American slavery. She was right: sales topped $ 30,000 this year.
But corporations and their marketers have also turned their attention to June – and black business owners and others say they misunderstand.
Juneteenth is a mixture of June 19, the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas were released. Last year, it became a federal holiday, prompting fears among some black leaders that its historic significance would be co-opted by mattress or patio furniture sales – like Remembrance Day and July 4 – or discarded in the news. big boxes stores.
Such worries are not without reason: last month Walmart released, then quickly apologized for the “ice cream of June”, after the reaction on social media. The retailer’s website offers paper plates, napkins and party supplies, but also a black tank top modeled by a white woman with the caption “Because My Ancestors Were Not Free in 1976,” an apparently misrepresentation of American independence in 1776. d. Out of stock.
The joy and history of the Juneteenth
The Indianapolis Children’s Museum advertised a “June watermelon salad” in its restaurant, then abandoned it and apologized after intense resistance.
Other underrepresented groups have been plagued by marketing mistakes, including Pride Whopper, which Burger King in Australia unveiled for LGBTQ Pride Month; it included hamburger buns with two tops or two bottoms. SKYY Vodka received mixed reviews for its LGBTQ nightlife ad called “Coming out (Again)” and US Bank for its ad on its Pride Plans website (“to support you as you pursue financial freedom to live life”). according to your own terms ”).
Juneteenth, marketing experts say, presents difficult but predictable pitfalls for national brands: How do they serve consumers hoping to celebrate a culturally significant event without looking like mercenaries?
“They’re trying to figure out the best approach to it without difficulty,” said Ernest Perry, who is studying intercultural communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. “You don’t want to misappropriate a holiday that is significant to black Americans, especially black Americans in the South who grew up understanding the meaning of Juneteenth and its meaning.
“We can laugh at these. These are horrific failures on social media, “said Joshua Dubois, CEO of market research platform Gauge. He held a webinar on Wednesday for companies preparing for the Juneteenth, called “Don’t Be That Brand.” “But they also illustrate something like a fundamental difference between too many brands and the customers and communities they want to serve.
President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 emancipation proclamation freed enslaved people in states that seceded during the Civil War, but was largely inapplicable and many enslavers fled to Texas to continue the practice. On June 19, 1865, the Union Army took control of Texas and banned slavery.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery, was ratified six months later, and on June 19, 1866, many enslaved people began to celebrate the date.
Walmart did not respond to a request for comment on its apparent flaws in the Juneteenth product, but in a statement issued in May, the retailer said it would “remove items as appropriate” while reviewing its Juneteenth products.
“June marks a celebration of freedom and independence,” the Walmart said in a statement. “However, we have received feedback that several items have caused concern to some of our customers, and we sincerely apologize.”
For years, black families across the country, but mostly in Texas and Louisiana, celebrated June 16 with family reunions, events marked by a note of sadness in recognition of years of oppression, said Pearl Walker, president of I Love Neighborhood and the Whitehaven Business Association, which is a largely black part of Memphis.
She sued her enslaver for reparations and won. Her descendants never knew.
But after the holiday received federal recognition, she said, residents poured much more energy into the celebrations. Whitehaven moved the week of the black restaurant from around Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day in January to the week before June to take advantage of summer time and increased interest in the holiday.
In St. Louis, Brenda Hampton opened a specialty Etsy store, Black Girl Powerhouse and a local mall store, fueled by early sales of the June 19th flag. The companies sell clothes and home decor designed by women – and mostly black – entrepreneurs.
June marks the beginning of Hampton’s busiest season. Sales are up about 25 percent or 30 percent around the holiday, she said.
“People are all-in now,” Hampton said. “It’s a beautiful thing for me.”
But that demand, she said, also leaves smaller black businesses as her vulnerable. It can’t compete with Walmart or Amazon – which also offers a range of Juneteenth goods – or dollar stores at prices. The flags at Walmart sell for $ 15.95 and at Amazon for $ 9. Hampton’s are priced at $ 19.99 on Etsy.
Juneteenth celebrates a “moment of indescribable joy”: the end of slavery in Texas
Black restaurateurs in Memphis may receive widespread consumer support during Black Restaurant Week or while selling at local festivals, but much of that revenue, Walker said, goes back to white-food food suppliers. This overcomes the momentum of some of the programs of the neighborhood group Whitehaven, which is trying to keep money in the community.
“The money will be made,” Walker said. “People will do what we do. And we have no control over that. But we have control over what we do with our money. “
And one-off promotions, such as special ice cream or discounts related to the June 19th, reveal the business’s unfamiliarity with the holiday and its black voters, experts say.
“I think about it, and I hope that brands and companies realize that these moments and these holidays mean a lot more to the community than just the day,” said Candice Benbow, a theologian who studies black feminism, during the webinar. We have been celebrating Unity for years.
The companies that are successfully selling around the holiday, she said, are brands that have prioritized relationships with black consumers for years and celebrate Juneteenth as a way to recognize their diverse clientele rather than sell products.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, said Brandon Harvey, editor-in-chief of Good Good Good, a news site dedicated to “good news”, has been recognizing Juneteenth for years and using the day to highlight social justice causes.
“There are many opportunities to understand the Juneteenth,” Walker said. “From a creative point of view, I know that there will simply be more books, more things to watch, read and watch.
“I don’t think the black community needs people to understand,” she added. “I think the Black Community needs people to respect it, not exploit it and not make fun of it.
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