Target removed a “Black History Month” product from its shelves this week after a TikTok video went viral showing three Civil Rights leaders on the item had been misidentified.
The video posted by Las Vegas high school teacher Tierra Espy showed that photos of Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington in a magnetic learning activity all had the wrong names under them, the Associated Press reported. After Epsy posted her video pointing out the flaws on Tuesday, Target confirmed that it would be removing the item from all its stores and its website. The AP reported that the magnetic activity appeared to be made by Bendon, an Ohio-based children’s publisher.
“We will no longer be selling this product in stores or online,” the retail giant said in a statement. “We’ve also ensured the product’s publisher is aware of the errors.”
Espy told the AP that she bought the learning activity at the end of January hoping to hand it out to her children, but she quickly discovered the error after opening it up at home. Espy pointed out that Woodson’s name appeared under DuBois’ photo, Washington’s name appeared under Woodson’s photo, and DuBois’ name showed up under Washington’s photo.
“These need to be pulled off the shelves immediately,” Espy said in her video. “I teach U.S. History … and I noticed some discrepancies as soon as I opened this.”
“I get it, mistakes happen, but this needs to be corrected ASAP,” she added.
Woke Target can't even get Black History Month right…
H/T @YourLibertyNews pic.twitter.com/LQFNhw4U4n
— Red Voice Media (@redvoicenews) February 3, 2024
Last year, Target was slammed for its Pride Month collection, which included a kids swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions.” Target also featured LGBT-themed books aimed at young children, such as “The Pronoun Book” and “Bye Bye Binary,” a story about a “joyful baby” who “refuses to conform to the gender binary and instead chooses toys, colors, and clothes that make them happy.”
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Following the backlash and boycotts over its Pride-themed products, Target reported that its sales dropped for the first time in six years, falling 5.4% in the second quarter. Then, around the Christmas holidays, the retail giant was criticized again — this time for selling an ornament of a black Santa Claus in a wheelchair.