During Black History Month, it’s common for popular brands to push black history retail items toward consumers. Mugs, clothing, jewelry, etc., paired with some sort of black power symbolism are many brands’ go-to way to show their “support.” Some brands also show their support for African Americans by publicly celebrating Black History Month with things like campaigns or donations.
This seems like a positive for black communities until it is realized that some of these companies are actively participating in and supporting anti-black behaviors. This shows that their support is a fraud and is only used for the profit of their own company.
A good example is Walmart. Throughout February, Walmart sells a variety of black history items. Their hypocrisy is shown when their history of donations to republican politicians with anti-black ideals arise. Specifically, republican senators such as David Perdue and Tom Cotton.
There is more than one incident with Walmart and it goes many years back. In 2004, there was an incident where the company was accused of discriminating against black truck drivers. Some African Americans searching for a trucking job with Walmart believed that the qualifications for the position favored white truckers. This was taken to court and Settled for 17.5 million dollars.
Like Walmart, Disney is also showing hypocrisy in their support. Disney openly has made announcements saying they are celebrating Black History Month at their resorts, on their channels, etc. At the same time, the company is funding politicians fighting for anti-black, racist policies. The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis has received 50,000 dollars from the company to fund his re-election campaign.
Even after these scandals, an entire section of Walmart stores are still dedicated to Black History Month every February. Disney continues to publicly show their support for black lives while actively profiting from and donating to anti-black policies. It happens every February, these companies exploit Black History Month for their own profit.
