Walmart retrieves Juneteenth ice cream from shelves after setback :: WRAL.com

Walmart pulls its Juneteenth ice cream off the shelves after a setback on social media.

The ice cream had a whirlpool of cheesecake red velvet and encouraged shoppers to “share and celebrate African American culture, liberation and lasting hope.”

Many accused Walmart of using the federal holiday as a marketing ploy.

WRAL News found the item at a Raleigh Walmart, but the ice was not placed in the system at check-out and was not available for purchase. An employee said they would throw out the ice.

WRAL’s Chris Lovingood contacted Walmart with several questions, such as whether the proceeds from the sale of ice cream were planned to go to charities when the ice cream was still in stock.

Juneteenth, or June 1[ads1]9, is the oldest nationally celebrated celebration of the abolition of slavery in the United States

The day is meant to commemorate the end of slavery for slaves in Texas, which was not liberated until two years after Abraham Lincoln’s liberation proclamation.

Traditionally, the celebration consisted of barbecues, music, prayer and worship services. As the Black Texans moved to other areas across the United States, the tradition spread throughout the country.

In 2021, Governor Cooper and Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin declared June 19 as Juneteenth Day in North Carolina and in the city of Raleigh.

Slavery did not end at Juneteenth. In some cases, slave owners withheld information about the freedom of black Americans, and others refused to release their slaves before being forced to do so.