Viola Davis has criticized Target after the retail giant apologized for selling a racist Halloween costume
Target publicly apologized for the offensive children’s costume on Monday, saying it “deeply regrets” the oversight and has removed the item.
Despite the apology, Davis, 61, slammed Target in a fiery post on the social media app Threads.
“Target, I do not accept your apology, and I do not believe you understand the impact… the pain… the dehumanization of the above,” the EGOT winner wrote.
“These images laid the foundation and ideology for every atrocity committed against my people,” she continued.
‘We are important! You showed us that you are not on OUR side.”
Viola Davis has criticized Target after the retail giant apologized for selling a racist Halloween costume
“Target, I don’t accept your apology, and I don’t believe you understand the impact… the pain… the dehumanization of the above,” the EGOT winner wrote on Threads
Davis is just one of seven black artists to win an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) award and is the most nominated black actress in the history of the Academy Awards with a total of four nominations.
Target’s “Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” on sale for $25, sparked outrage after it was advertised with an image of a black child wearing it.
Customers criticized the costume’s striking resemblance to racist caricatures of black people, particularly minstrel clowns.
An image shared online showed the costume’s similarities to an illustration of the Jim Crow minstrel character.
Minstrel shows were performances that began in 1830s New York.
They were performed by white people who rubbed black shoe polish or burnt cork on their faces to make themselves look like a distorted caricature of an enslaved African.
Thousands of social media users criticized Target, with one writing, “This is exactly why you need a diverse team in the room!”
“How many approval processes did this go through before it was released?” asked another.
Target’s ‘Circus Clown Halloween Costume,’ on sale for $25, sparked outrage after it was advertised with an image of a black child wearing it
An image shared online showed the costume’s similarities to an illustration of the Jim Crow minstrel character
Following the intense backlash, Target issued a statement on Monday apologizing for the costume.
“As a company, we know we did this wrong, and we deeply regret it,” the statement said.
‘It’s no longer for sale. We know this is especially painful for our Black guests, team members and partners.
“Removing the costume is an important first step and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Target previously faced criticism for its decision to roll back DEI initiatives.
Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis business executive, told Reuters she believed sales of the offensive Halloween costume were an indirect result of the DEI measures.
“You’ve rolled back diversity,” she said, “so who’s in the room now to say, ‘Hey, this is wrong?’
