The Commodification of Juneteenth
The summer of 2020 is a time our nation will never forget. In the midst of a global pandemic, the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer ignited protests throughout the world. We watched as corporations across industries made public declarations to combat racism and commit to more diverse engagement and hiring practices. They were more deliberate about their engagement with communities of color and began designing products and outreach efforts with intentions of connecting with marginalized communities.
In alignment with these efforts to be more inclusive and recognize the African-American experience, in June of 2021, Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., was named a federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Now, just shy of its first year as a federal holiday, corporations have once again attempted to connect with the experiences of marginalized communities by creating merchandise to commemorate the holiday.
Walmart, one of the nation’s most popular corporations, released its “Celebration Edition Juneteenth” ice cream sparking criticism from the audience it intended to connect with. The red velvet-flavored ice cream’s label read, “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope,” accompanied with Black and brown hands surrounded by musical notes. This blunder came on the heels of Bath and Body Works’ Black History month collection of candles which came covered inspired by traditional African designs, met with similar criticism from the African-American community.
While these failed attempts at engagement may have started from a place of genuine recognition, many members of the African-American community felt like these instances were tone deaf and were representative of several hapless efforts to pander to the Black experience.
No one will argue against the necessity of incorporating diversity in one’s business strategy; besides increasing your profit, it also situates your organization as one that values inclusion – a value that young consumers are now demanding from the brands they support. And while it’s great that marginalized communities’ experiences are finally being seen, validated and acknowledged by those who have historically ignored them, the impact is lost when those same communities feel like their experiences are being commercialized and in turn, monetized by organizations that aren’t directly connected to these groups.
So how do you know when your attempt to connect with marginalized communities are genuine and not an attempt to simply profit off diverse experiences? A 2021 survey conducted by Inclusive Market Research Group and Esparza Advertising found that Millennials and Gen Z Latinx and Black consumers want to see diverse representation in the brands they support, but it must be done authentically, and it should represent a true understanding of the experiences of the people in those communities. In other words, if you’re solely thinking about capitalizing off the experiences of diverse communities because of its potential profitability, you’ve already missed the mark.
Market research helps organizations and brands get a better of their target audience, but that baseline understanding is not enough. It pays to have diverse voices at the table – decision makers who can flag campaigns and products that can be problematic for consumers. Let the community tell you what they want instead of assuming you know how they’d like to be represented. That is an example of true allyship.
As you celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, I challenge you to reflect on whether your organization is truly exhibiting allyship, or if you’re simply employing a marketing tactic to capitalize off marginalized community’s experiences and, in many cases, trauma.