Walmart will remove 'racist' onesie from shelves following outcry
Walmart Canada has apologised and says they will pull a baby onesie that many considered offensive from store shelves.
“I Still Live With My Parents,” reads the sleeper, which features teepees and an arrow.
A picture of the item was reportedly taken in Ontario by Elizabeth Sault, a worker at the Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and was subsequently shared across social media, with some suggesting the text was disrespectful and racist.
Hey @Walmart. You know that indigenous children are taken into foster care disproportionately don't you? #racism @JorgeBarrera @APTNNews pic.twitter.com/hH2Sl7xqUc
— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 13, 2017
The tweet received hundreds of shares and multiple complaints, with people calling the onesie, made by Walmart’s George clothing brand, "disgusting".
@Walmart Is this for real?! You can't seriously be a Canadian corporate organization and not understand the offence of this product. https://t.co/lkXByFdis0
— Bob W (@rdwaldon) July 14, 2017
I haven't finished my morning coffee yet so it took me a minute to process this BS. @walmart has sunk to a low I didn't think was possible. https://t.co/hmomIngdaL
— Cheryl D (@DemocracyYes) July 14, 2017
W-T-F ??? Is there nothing we can't profit from? #Shame #Disgusting #cdnpoli https://t.co/60gnAz713S
— BEINGWHERE (@NickyP1979) July 14, 2017
Oh my goodness. How did that get through to manufacture? #tonedeaf https://t.co/y9mdkxZMkM
— Simone Browne (@sbrowne0819) July 14, 2017
This is beyond disgusting. They need to fire whoever decided to let this racist filth into their stores and issue an apology. https://t.co/3HfLoJHShd
— Robert Jensen (@RobertJensen2) July 14, 2017
Manitoba CFS takes one newborn per day into foster care. @Walmart sells onesies to the rest. #bringthemhome @christibelcourt @ChiefDay pic.twitter.com/qkyS4tH5hT
— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 14, 2017
The backlash has seemingly caught Walmart’s attention.
“Duty manager at Wal-Mart says they were contacted by media and are removing them from display. She’s waiting for corporate,” wrote @ginadannis in an update.
Duty manager at Wal-Mart says they were contacted by media and are removing them from display. She's waiting for corporate. #Walmartonesie
— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 14, 2017
APTN National News contacted Walmart Canada about the sleeper and received this response from Anika Malik, senior manager of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada.
“We thank our customers for bringing this matter to our attention. The graphic on this item does not represent Walmart’s beliefs and has no place in our stores. We are removing the product immediately and sincerely apologise for any unintended offense this has caused.”
Words by Nisean Lorde for Yahoo Style
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