Target is yanking a Black History Month item from its stores and website after a TikTok user pointed out that it mixes up the images and names of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and Carter G. Woodson.
Target pulls Black History Month product after viral TikTok points out mistakes
The Minneapolis-based retail chain said it has notified the manufacturer of the errors.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 2, 2024 at 2:51PM
“We will no longer be selling this product in stores or online,” the Minneapolis-based retailer said in a statement. “We’ve also ensured the product’s publisher is aware of the errors.”
In the social media post that went viral, TikTok user Issa Tete said she bought the civil rights magnetic learning activity from Target for Black History Month.
“I don’t know who is in charge at Target, but these need to be pulled off the shelves like immediately,” she said in the post.
Tete added that she teaches U.S. history and noticed mistakes as soon as she opened the toy.
“This is not W.E.B. Du Bois,” she says, pointing to an image erroneously labeled with his name. “This is Booker T. Washington.”
She juxtaposed the images of the prominent historical figures used in the product next to actual pictures of those men to show the discrepancies.
The product was made by manufacturer Bendon, which did not respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first time Target has run into issues related to its special collections. Last year, Target pulled some items from its Pride collection after backlash and protests over the products.
The party supply company told employees on Friday that it’s going out of business.
