Juneteenth Menu At Atlanta Ikea Angers Black Employees

[keemz]

A menu that the manager of an Ikea store in Atlanta says was meant to honor Juneteenth instead angered Black employees who called it insensitive. Many didn't show up for work on Saturday – Juneteenth – and some even thought about quitting.

The manager is apologizing.

Employees who requested anonymity due to fear of repercussions showed CBS Atlanta affiliate WGCL-TV an email sent Friday that said the special menu for customers and employees was one way to "honor the perseverance of Black Americans and acknowledge the progress yet to be made."

The menu included items such as fried chicken, watermelon, mac and cheese and collard greens.

Employees called that racially insensitive and ignorant and said members of management need to do more to educate themselves on black culture moving forward.

"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 slavery time," one employee said. "It caused a lot of people to be upset. People actually wanted to quit. People weren't coming back to work," he continued.

Employees said 33 people called out from work, which sparked an internal email response from the store manager on Saturday.

It said in part, "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."

However, employees said the decisions behind the creation of the menu should have included voices of color first.

"None of the coworkers who sat down to create the menu -- nobody was black," the employee said.

The store manager told employees and WGCL that the menu was amended after the issue was raised.

But another employee said, "They just delayed the menu by a day, thinking that everybody who was upset stayed home on Juneteenth and wouldn't notice on Sunday, which just added insult to injury."

The revised menu still included collard greens, corn bread, mashed potatoes and meatloaf.

Customers also felt the menu was insulting.

"I'm just frankly disappointed in the learning process -- you shouldn't learn after you have insulted all of your black employees," said one.

The store manager told WGCL management deeply apologizes for what happened and realizes they got the menu wrong.

 

[scalywaters]

would ate all that shit with a smile... I mean I get the stereotypes......buuuuttt if that ain't soulfood what is

 

[SeaSnake]

Inb4 somebody says fake outrage

 

[King Freeman]

Lol. White people gonna white.

The watermelon did them in.

They could have lived with the fried chicken, greens and mac and cheese.

Who going to IKEA for a juneteenth meal tho? Lmao. It was free to shut the fuck up and sit this one out.

If a mf gon eat at IKEA that's a firm decision regardless of the menu. Like you thought about it thoroughly imo. They didn't need to do all that.

 

[Inori]

Yall think if they left the watermelon out folks would have felt differently overall?

--edit--

Freeman beat me to it lol

 

[Sony Montana]

It’s weird because I worked at IKEA before and they make a bunch of food everyday buffet style for employees in the cafeteria

usually mac and cheese and fried chicken is always on the menu

I mean I see why ppl would be upset but ehh

 

[Sony Montana]

lol I still got pics

 

[The Lonious Monk]

The thing about this is that if the white people at the company went to some black employees and got them to do the menu, that's pretty much what it would have looked like.

Like I said in another topic, it's pretty much impossible to have a black inspired menu without it looking racist. I grew up in the South and every black banquet I ever went to had fried chicken on the menu, and when it wasn't there, people got mad.

 

[Allah_U_Akbar]

That looks good.

 

[Rainbowdildobuttmonkey]

IKEA needs to be sued.

 

[keemz]

IKEA needs to be sued.

go do it

 

[GNS]

Welp I was today years old when I found out ikea served food

by a few of our coworkers who believed they were representing their culture and tradition with these foods of celebration."

None of the coworkers who sat down to create the menu -- nobody was black," the employee said.

Those lying motherfuckers

 

[SneakDZA]

The thing about this is that if the white people at the company went to some black employees and got them to do the menu, that's pretty much what it would have looked like.

Like I said in another topic, it's pretty much impossible to have a black inspired menu without it looking racist. I grew up in the South and every black banquet I ever went to had fried chicken on the menu, and when it wasn't there, people got mad.

So no one in management at an IKEA in black ass Atlanta is black but at least 33 employees are? That is the nature of the problem right there.

Also no one compelled these crackas to change the menu. White people really can't help themselves when it comes to taking cheap shots and then playing dumb after.

 

[SneakDZA]

I recommend you guys check out High on the Hog on Netflix if you want to know why it's insulting to limit black american food to fried chicken and watermelon.

 

[wadupdoe!313]

I recommend you guys check out High on the Hog on Netflix if you want to know why it's insulting to limit black american food to fried chicken and watermelon.

Man that was one of the best Netflix series I've seen

 

[Dwayne]

I recommend you guys check out High on the Hog on Netflix if you want to know why it's insulting to limit black american food to fried chicken and watermelon.

We ain’t gon act like that ain’t bla……



Nevermind.