Several employees at a St. Paul Target store complained to management about a tabletop display in the break room for Juneteenth that included cherry Kool-Aid packets, watermelon candy and servings of hot sauce.
The display was set up for Juneteenth by a human resources manager at the Midway Target on University Avenue and had different iterations before it was removed on Tuesday following concerns by workers that the table was offensive and glorified stereotypes of Black people, employees said.
"It's almost like setting people back instead of trying to progress and move forward," said Safirah Scott, a Black Target employee at the store.
Scott, who has worked at the Target for about four years, had agreed to have her photograph included in the display because her family celebrates Juneteenth, but the end result was not what she expected, and she said she felt offended and appalled by the table.
Target in a statement admitted the table "missed the mark."
"We want everyone to feel welcome and included at Target and, as part of our commitment to racial equity, we recently recognized Juneteenth as a paid holiday and encouraged our teams to use it as a day of service and education," Target said in the statement. "One of our team members created this display to try and teach about Juneteenth, but it missed the mark and we're sorry that it was insensitive. We've taken the display down, talked to the team member who was involved and will use it as a moment of education for our team."
Target and several other corporations have either made a holiday or otherwise noted Juneteenth, the June 19 celebration of emancipation of African-Americans from slavery. Last week, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Employees' pictures of the tabletop display at the Midway Target showed a Pan-African flag as well as bowls of Kool-Aid, watermelon candy and hot sauce packets with written descriptions about traditions followed during the holiday.
