Photo Courtesy of Facebook (Jonelle Slaughter)
On Saturday, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis apologized for selling a “Juneteenth Watermelon Salad.”
The museum was slammed for labeling and selling the bogus Juneteenth Watermelon Salad in an ill attempt to honor the Black holiday held on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
According to TMZ, a museum representative said the racially insensitive salad was offered as part of a “planned Juneteenth menu as a way to raise awareness of the holiday’s meaning, and commemorate their own family traditions.”
When social media, specifically Black Twitter, got a hold of photos of the salad from the museum’s cafeteria, all hell broke loose.
Some social users commented that Black people should have gatekept Juneteenth to keep it away from white folks and capitalism.
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The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis tried to clap back at the criticism explaining that watermelon and other red foods are staples of Juneteenth celebrations. Still eventually, it issued a public apology on Saturday via IndyStar.
“As a museum, we apologize and acknowledge the negative impact that stereotypes have on communities of color. The salad has been removed from the menu. We are currently reviewing how we may best convey these stories and traditions during this year’s Juneteenth celebration as well as making changes around how future food selections are made by our food service provider.”