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A Georgia Ikea store is facing backlash after promoting a special menu for Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, that featured fried chicken and watermelon as two of its star items.
Now, the Atlanta branch store is apologizing after being called out for its ignorance both on social media and by its very own employees.
IKEA Juneteenth menu upsets employees and customerswww.youtube.com
Employees were sent the menu in a company-wide email, where they were shocked to find a menu that held fried chicken, watermelon, mac 'n' cheese, and collard greens.
"You cannot say serving watermelon on Juneteenth is a soul food menu when you don't even know the history, they used to feed slaves watermelon during the slave time," an anonymous employee said to CBS 46.
Just sayin\u2019 Watermelon and fried chicken isn\u2019t actually an honor for Juneteenth IKEA.— Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1624464758
If you EVER have to wonder why we all are still fighting against racism and why we say that Black Lives Matter, take a look at how IKEA decided to treat Juneteenth for their employees\u2026..https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1407371745846300681\u00a0\u2026— Rachel Marie \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Rachel Marie \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1624378761
IKEA SERVED CHICKEN AND WATERMELON ON JUNETEENTH?!?!?!?— The Hood\u2019s Lisa Turtle\ud83d\udc85\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udc84 (@The Hood\u2019s Lisa Turtle\ud83d\udc85\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udc84) 1624399450
IKEA CEO: What should our stores in the US do for Juneteenth?\nIKEA VP: We\u2019ll consult an expertpic.twitter.com/9vw7NQUMtA— \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd98 \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd98 (@\ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd98 \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd98) 1624398648
About 33 employees staged a walkout in protest of the menu.
"It caused a lot of people to be upset. People actually wanted to quit, people weren't coming back to work."
According to employees, the store then only delayed the menu by a day rather than changing it, thinking people wouldn't notice.
IKEA MENU offered FRIED CHICKEN & WATERMELON ...\nTo Honor Juneteenth?!?pic.twitter.com/RWVfCjXPjb— Niko Exxtra (@Niko Exxtra) 1624391113
I'm trying to imagine the white person that said "yeah, they like fried chicken and watermelon" and it completely flew over their heads \nWe have to do better than this!\n#DemVoice1\n"None of the coworkers who sat down to create the menu -- nobody was black,"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/juneteenth-menu-atlanta-ikea-angers-black-employees/#app\u00a0\u2026— Charles (@Charles) 1624406177
Ikea said "Happy Juneteenth, here's some fried chicken and watermelon"https://twitter.com/shongables/status/1406286063304417290\u00a0\u2026— eggbok (@eggbok) 1624369877
What were they thinking?https://www.rawstory.com/atlanta-ikea-racism/\u00a0\u2026— RacerxJax \ud83c\udf08 #VaccinatedNotRepublican (@RacerxJax \ud83c\udf08 #VaccinatedNotRepublican) 1624418388
They was serving watermelon fried chicken n collard greens at ikea on Juneteenth in Atlanta lol iono why they thought that was a good idea— Chef Booby\ud83d\udca5 (@Chef Booby\ud83d\udca5) 1624385133
"We value our co-workers' voices and changed the menu after receiving feedback that the foods that were selected are not reflective of the deeply meaningful traditional foods historically served as part of Juneteenth celebrations," an Ikea spokesperson said to CBS 46.
However, though the menu changed, the food served reportedly did not, according to an anonymous employee. A photo they sent to the news outlet showed fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, and collard greens.
"I'm just frankly disappointed in the learning process," said the employee.
"You shouldn't learn after you have insulted all of your black employees."
We are more than stereotypes and caricatures! That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for everyone to learn about Black history, including tough topics like the origins of racist stereotypes and the derogatory meanings attached to certain foods.https://fal.cn/3gju8— Ben Crump (@Ben Crump) 1624484221
Lol not the IKEA in ATL tried to serve employees watermelon and fried chicken for Juneteenth— \u264e Dj Electrik\u2122 #PfizerPapi (@\u264e Dj Electrik\u2122 #PfizerPapi) 1624413573
Why am I seeing two articles about Amazon and ikea serving their employees fried chicken and watermelon on Juneteenth???????pic.twitter.com/Kz0KVm35ya— Petty and Gay (@Petty and Gay) 1624481155
\u201cWhy would you assume that people who aren\u2019t from that community can make decisions about that community?\nAnd if you do have diversity, make sure that the people who are there know what the hell they\u2019re talking about.\u201d\n@JayarJackon on Ikea\u2019s offensive Juneteenth menupic.twitter.com/wOffl8gmKy— The Damage Report (@The Damage Report) 1624494012
Ikea also did not include employees of color in making the menu for Juneteenth.
"We are committed to educating ourselves and putting a process in place that will allow us to thoughtfully honor Juneteenth in the future," the store said.
That process remains unclear.