Acme Markets’ recent Black History Month circular has sparked quite the debate. The company has run the advertisement for seven years and says there has never been an issue before, but the ad is now being called racist.
Products advertised include corn bread, collard greens and grape soda. The Delaware chapter of the NAACP says more than 100 people have complained that the products perpetuate stereotypes: “It’s racist, it’s insensitive, it’s not culturally correct. Don’t assume that to celebrate Black History Month that we must have corn bread. Whoever put this ad together thought it’d be a good joke,” said Delaware NAACP President Cecil C. Wilson who demands Acme run a full-page apology in “all of Delaware’s newspapers”.
In a statement from Acme, the company said the advertisement was designed to highlight Black History Month and many of the items are products supplied through the company’s “supplier diversity program”.
“For example, Glory Foods, an African American-owned manufacturer, is featured with four of its products because it is our way of supporting and strengthening their brand with added exposure during the month of February,” the statement said.
Wilson also said Acme shouldn’t be discounting any foods specifically because it’s Black History Month. In Colonial times, slave owners would discard the remains of butchered hogs, and slaves would cook and season those parts, such as chitterlings and feet, into delicacies. The Acme ad took on a similar theme, Wilson said, by discounting Acme soda and maple syrup instead of the brand-name counterparts.
“This whole thing is cheapo,” he said. “All the products on sale are typically low-grade products that they have to clean off the shelves. I don’t know what their motive is, but it still reeks with suspicion.” [SOURCE]
Sounds like a bunch of folks looking to make a mountain out of a molehill
wow…
black people….get the hell over it lol
seriously
this comes off as if we’re ashamed of our culture (cornbread etc)
man get over it….please
and yes i’m black
UMMMMMMMM….I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THIS ONE…
I’m with number 1 on this one.
Are you freaking serious? When will NAACP start fighting real issues? Everyone knows that food is one of the central parts of Black American culture. Why is it wrong for them to capitalize on that aspect during Black History Month??? Geez…
Well now that we have our President – the first African American in office I’m sure a lot of stories like this will become public.
But it is demeaning and downgrading. Black people will never and can never get over the 400+ years of slavery or the demonstrable effect that it still lingers.
It was not challenged for 6 years b/c Blacks have become complacent with their ‘stature” in society or they just gave up the fight.
I’m sure you wouldnt see an ad like this during ramadan or the jewish holidays
This is not worth a fight. Let it go. We all know we like cornbread and grape soda.
CHILL.
MeMyself&I you are wrong. You do see Jewish-food items in circulars and discounted during their special holidays when they can only eat certain foods.
Funny how there are no healthy foods included in this sale. And since when was grape soda and tacos Black items?!?!?!? It does smack of racism!!!
Just a side note: Glory collard grens are off the chain!!
My two cents, carry on folks.
Maybe they were trying to encourage support of black owned businesses? Hell, I don’t know. Get over it NAACP.
This just seems ridiculous. I mean we do eat this stuff and why not highlight black owned products. There are so many more seriously racial issues that are actually worth fighting about, and fight like these detract from the true issues. Waste of time and resources even stirring up this controversy. Who cares? And better yet who even shops at Acme?
I had to laugh at this.
I’m sorry but I can’t help but laugh at this! There are plenty other things people, black people, need to be worried about. And, those are some pretty good deals on those items, so what is the issue??
Well I must disagree with most. I think this ad is wrong and offensive. Its not funny at all nor is it a tribute to black people…
Its not a huge issue, and I agree the NAACP has other things it could be fighting but I would want the ad taken out of circulation. Do they promote Asparagus and Green Bean Casserole on Christopher Columbus day. What about Lamb and Hammas on Jewish Holidays. Yucca and Plantains on Cinco De Mayo ….
Okay this is the dumbest thing I ever seen and heard! Whoever came up with this idea are idiots and should get fired because they clearly don’t know what the customer wants, and frankly doesn’t care about their customers in this case.
They do have sales like this during the Jewish holidays but that is because their holidays involve certain dietary restrictions (and eating certain foods). I have NEVER heard of Black people restricting their diets to so-called “Black” foods during Black History Month – this is quite a stretch. And grape soda is NOT a Black food/staple (grape Kool-Aid maybe) – I’m just saying…………
Im gonna need them to build a bridge and get over it, …what the hell is this going to prove, in this day and age if people are still stereotyping..thats their own damn problem….Advertisement is Advertisement
Yeah….kinda racist.
They could have left out the grape soda. But really not that much different when grocery stores have special advertisements for Jewish holidays.
Where is dat store located bcuz I need sum hotsauce, grapesoda n cornbread n they cheap 2 sign me up…Do they have a location n miami?69cent soda can’t beat dat…
This shit is just as stupid as the CVS flyer with the hair relaxers, JAM, and other cheap ass hair cair products they had on sale last year. I was like WTF? Black history month special, buy one relaxer get the other for half off ? Wow. Crackers are so funny.
I can see how this could be seen as racist, but i don’t think it was intentional especially when this ad has been running for years. When i first saw the headline, looked at the add and i couldn’t figure out what was wrong to be honest.
LMAO.
This sale actually looks decent – Lawry’s Season Salt for $1 each?! I am there.
I also see “Ole Tacos” advertised which means that they probably were trying to promote “diverse” food suppliers. Black people can’t have it both ways, either you’re for race-based preferences or you’re against it. We can’t pick and choose, especially when we can barely get together to run a successful business.
I bet this same NAACP chapter has pushed for “diversity” programs and initiatives and threatened to sue those who didn’t comply.
I am so sick of these civil rights old guard do-nothing idiots.
^^^wow ,hair care
CCan someone please explain how this is racist?! These things are a part of our culture! I really don’t see what the big deal is.
Hold up! Lawry’s seasoning salt 10 for 10 dollars! That’s a good deal.
In the ad they also have orange soda. That is A whole lot of cornbread on sale! Freshly mande and Jiffy! WoW! I don’t see any Jerri Curl Juice or kool aid, chitterlings, fat backs?? so I don’t see a real problem? I’m sure for Cinco de Mayo they spotlight Goya products and for Chinese New Year they do the same for that demographic. I highly doubt Latinos and Asians would consider it racist.
I have a question not trying to argue or debate Im just wondering….
Where do we as consumers and black people draw the line? Is it that Some things that are a little racist are ok but big racist things are not.???? Would it be ok to have a man in blackface on the ad because it shows us a part of our history and where we have come from?
Is it ok to stereotype anyone???
If they do this for every race its still wrong. If I saw an ad filled with Taco’s, Beans and Plantains for a spanish holiday it would still be wrong IMO…
I do agree its not that big of a deal but that dont make it right…
This ain’t isn’t racist. The NAACP needs to find something better to do. Hell, they have ads like this all the time in Texas during Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Heritage month and I don’t see them complaining. It’s not that big of a deal.
*ad*
sorry, got too quick with the typing for a minute.
OMG!!! We quick to call somebody or something racist when it deals with stereotypes. When truthfully stereotypes are nothing but what the majority of any group of people do, not everyone but the majority.
And yall can pretend if you want to, but black people do like cornbread, greens, and hot sauce!! So if it were Welches grape soda instead of generic would they be satisfied?? GTFOOH with this nonsense
i swear we black pple be taking things too far
@ #10
Lol… yes they are! They don’t even taste like they are from the can.
Why black folks always getting mad at stupid stuff. The only reason they making a big fuss out of it is because our President is black. Instead of them realizing that they are running products made by black people for the black people, they see it as racist. At one point we could only get ads about the things that we are doing wrong like violence, and stealing etc… now people out here trying to make a dollar and they still tripping. i wish that store was around my way cause i would be in there racking up on most of that stuff, because my family loves it and it’s on sale.
The NAACP need to address the racism going on in the education system and why so many black children are placed in “special ed” when nothing is wrong with their brains it is just that the teachers do not want to nor know how to deal with bad behavior.
And, I can guarantee you there is grape soda, cornbread, and collard greens served at many a table on a daily basis with no-one complaining while they are putting it in their mouth…not a stereotype but a truth…
Let’s move forward people and stop making mountains out of mole hills if I were ACME I would not apologize. I am Black and Southern.
Oh give me a break already!!
If we had an Italian heritage month and they advertised spaghetti and pizza, you think anyone would be complaining? Or Dominican (and other West Indian ethnicity) heritage month, and advertised platanos and sugarcane? Food, as well as music, dance, fashion, etc. are apart of your culture.
girl bew.
Can’t be mad at them for knowing the market. Somebody is on point. Seriously though the NAACP could really focus on something like education instead of silly things like this. Especially since there will be a gang of people taking advantage of this sale.
But damn, I do want to know which one of yall niggas let out the secret about smoked sausage.
Looks to me like they are just promoting african-american food retailers (sans the tacos and sodas) which I don’t see a problem with. Aside from the fact that this is probably one small section of the shopping circular, it may have gone unnoticed had they put the “Celebrate Black History Month” ad on a different page. With that ad sitting right next to the collard greens and cornbread, it leaves the door wide open for just this type of drama. Oh well-I’ll be at Acme tonight anyway…
What is the big bang deal? The ad has been running for 7 years now!!! Let it go!
@#39
LMAO! I was just wondering who let white people know that we like smoked sausage on the low. LOL.
-dang-
This is too funny… It might be a stereotype, but how many black people are saving hella money this month because of this? As much as we hate to think of ourselves as liking soul food, we still like it. I look at this ad and most of this stuff is in my cabinet – Thats just the real. I think if it was meant maliciously, then the joke is on them because I’m the one saving money.
Chinese people eat chinese food, Japanese people eat sushi – so do black and latino people and vice versa. I’m sure there are japanese people somewhere who hate sushi – do you think they’d be mad if someone offered them a piece? This is America so we are gonna have to learn how to communicate with one another. If this is offensive to you, then maybe you should look at you and figure out why you’re upset?
This is funny because if “Black History Month” wasn’t printed at the top, no one would have noticed and everyone would have gotten what they wanted.
But on the other hand i see it as being wrong only because black history month isnt actually a holiday.. i mean we have it to celebrate the triumphs that civil rights leaders and others did that paved the way to where we are now as a culture….
soo noow idk lol.. i guess i see it both wayszz… oh welllsz..
I appreciate that they are highlighting black owned food companies during BHM. The fact that someone says the products are “low grade” speaks to the larger issue of AA’s not supporting their own.
*****Hmm well I for one love corn bread, greens, and fried chicken, that sounds like a
winning meal to me!! Lawry’s seasoned salt is about $3.69 for a medium sized
container out here in AZ. These people should be running not walking to this
store. I sure would. Xoxo Thicky
@ 44-Science
True That!!
BLACK PEOPLE LETS GROW UP. AND GET AWAY FROM ALL THIS PETTY STUFF. LIFE IS TOO SHORT ENJOY IT.
I think folks are making something out of nothing. I mean if this were racist, shouldn’t Christians be offended when circulars come out promoting Christmas sales?
well acme is a food market so I guess they would put food on thiei ad… it would be dumb for them to put rims or grills on it!1
——ShopRite got better deals on the grape sodas.
Okay, I looked at the ad, and yes… it does seem somewhat offensive. I work for a major retailer and in our store’s black history month ad, we dont have certain products singled out. We have pictures of people from history (i.e- Madam C. J. Walker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Dr. Maya Angelou, Ernest Green, Dr. Charles Drew, Rosa Parks, Pres. Obama & family, and others). We even have a table that I worked dearly hard on portraying important African Americans from the past and present & children that have dreams to make history in the future. We even have a art, poetry, and writting contest that rewards students with scholarships, trips to the civil rights museums in Memphis… you know isomething that makes you stop, research, think, and learn. And then to hear the smaller kids say, “I know who that is…” or “I want to be just like them when I grow up.”… It’s refreshing!
I hate it when retailers think that they can just offer you cornbread & greens and think that is enough to cover Black History Month. It’s just like (the competition who will remain nameless as we call them…lol) and the Christmas ad’s where they were targeting minorities… esp. that ad where at the end, the woman says: “Save money, live better guurl” and they had her popping her kneck and it was like you could tell she was scripted to speak in such slang. They later edited to just say “Save money, live better.”
But to sum it all up, I dont know if that is something that the NAACP should address, but I think it could’ve been handled on a personal level ( where all those people that just went straight to the NAACP could’ve made a petition and sent it to corporate offices).
Have a Great Day!!!
T======== THIS IS SO FREAKIN RIDICULOUS! I LIVE IN CALI AND WHEN IT
========= IS CINCO DE MAYO- YA BEST BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE
========= TAPATIA SAUCE, ENCHILADA SAUCE, CORONAS AND TEQUILA
========= ON SALE. SHOULD THEY BOYCOTT TOO?
========= GET OVER IT PEOPLE! HELL, I WANT SOME DAMN CORNBREAD!!
=
My first reaction is what store is this so I can get me 10 Lawry’s for $10. That is a steal!!! They need to stop. At least they are aknowledging black history month. So I guess the cooks at my job’s cafeteria should be criticized for offering a menu of food of certain foods that African Americans( I should say southern, because not all African American people eat collards, chitlings etc) NAACP stop it and pick your battles. This is not a big deal. I didn’t know grape soda was a stereotype drink. I thought it was Kool-Aid…Red? LOL.
These people fail to see the difference between what is racist and what is cliché. It’s so disturbing to see the NAACP making a fuss about this. They claim to be defending us African descendants against racism. However, they see racism in everything. Personally, I take offense to the NAACP still defending ‘coloureds’. I AM BLACK.
When French people have a French sale, don’t they place discounts on wine and cheese? Is that racist? No, it’s cliché and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I’m really disappointed with the NAACP!
I can understand where the NAACP is coming from one this one…but shouldn’t they be attending to more important things like making sure there is justice in the Oscar Grant case…I mean seriously I can’t get that offended by the ad myself because I eat cornbread and collard greens and I am damn proud of it. Southern Gurl!
**********THIS IS OFF THE SUBJECT—-CL WEBMASTERS, PLEASE FIX YOUR
**********GRAPHICS ON THIS PAGE. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING TO NOT BE ABLE
**********TO READ THIS PAGE WITH MOST OF THE LEFT SIDE BEING CUT OFF.
@ #29 Juicy Superstar—
I think people knowing and teaching others whats right is right is when you know how to draw the line. @ work, I’ve had to deal with the sly remarks of others:
This lady walks up to me while I’m working on my display table and says, “Oh, Black History Month is a whole month?” Do you know how much I had to maintain customer service mode??? Lol! What I wanted to say prob would’ve been much harsh, but I replied, “Yes it is a full 28 days of honoring those before my time. There is so much to learn, I wish Black History Month could be something required to learn.” That just made her face red.
Why would you shop at a store that’s named Acme anyways? If you recall those Looney Toon episodes where Wile E. Coyote always uses an Acme product that always seem to backfire.
Take it from the ‘toons to give you a heads up.