One of the most popular furniture chains across the globe is taking heat for selections in a menu that was more stereotyping than celebrating Juneteenth and black culture.
IKEA is facing backlash at a U.S. location over meals that were served to a lot of the store’s employees and now has that location’s manager “apologizing.”
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From WJW Fox 8 News Cleveland:
An Atlanta-based IKEA store sent an email to its employees about the celebration, telling them to watch for “a special menu” that would include fried chicken, watermelon, mac and cheese, potato salad, collard greens and candied yams, according to a picture of the email that was circulated on social media.
An employee who wanted to remain anonymous told WGCL-TV in Atlanta, “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.”
WGCL-TV reports that “the menu was racially insensitive” as employees sound off after that email touched on how its attempt at a Juneteenth-themed celebration was meant “to honor the perseverance of Black Americans and acknowledge the progress yet to be made.”
33 of the Atlanta-area’s IKEA location ended up pulling out of work. It was after that situation that prompted the manager to issue an apology.
“I truly apologize if the menu came off as subjective. It was created with the best of intentions by a few of our coworkers who believed they were representing their culture and tradition with these foods of celebration,” as mentioned in the statement.
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IKEA has also issued a statement addressing the racially offensive menu, which you can read here.
Customers were also upset at the menu, which some employees say “no one was Black” as to who came up the idea of those menu items for Juneteenth.
Here is WGCL-TV’s report below:
Click here to read more.
Article Courtesy of WJW Fox 8 News Cleveland
First and Second Picture Courtesy of SOPA Images and Getty Images
Video Courtesy of YouTube and WJW Fox 8 News Cleveland
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Atlanta-Area IKEA Under Fire for Controversial Juneteenth Menu Featuring Watermelon & Chicken was originally published on wzakcleveland.com