Tyson Sells Juneteenth Shirts to Employees, Crossing Out ‘July 4’ as Independence Day
Tyson Foods, a major U.S.-based meat supplier, created controversy with their choice of t-shirts for their annual Juneteenth celebration, which included designs that suggested July 4 should not be recognized as America’s Independence Day. These shirts featured messages like “Juneteenth is my Independence Day” and designs crossing out “July 4” with the text “Juneteenth 1865 because my ancestors weren’t free in 1776.” The designs also featured the black power fist. Following inquiries by The Daily Wire, Tyson’s Virginia office was reportedly ordered to halt the sales of these shirts and issue refunds to those who had made purchases. Later, a Tyson spokesman stated the company hadn’t been aware of the t-shirt designs prior to their proposal and had decided against them after reviewing.
Tyson Foods, the U.S.-based meat supplier that’s grown to be one of the world’s largest companies, offered shirts to employees for this its annual Juneteenth celebrations that literally cross out “July 4” as the nation’s Independence Day.
Emails obtained by The Daily Wire show the poultry industry giant selling shirts for its annual Juneteenth celebration that say the holiday, marking the day in 1865 that African Americans in Texas learned that slavery had been abolished in the United States, is the nation’s true independence day.
“Juneteenth is my Independence Day,” reads one shirt offered, while another, under a crossed out July 4 date, states, “Juneteenth 1865 because my ancestors weren’t free in 1776.” Many of the shirts also incorporate the black power fist.
After The Daily Wire inquired about the shirts offered for the celebration, a source inside Tyson Foods says their Virginia office was ordered to cancel the sale and refund any employee who purchased a shirt. Days later, a spokesman for Tyson said it was “unaware of the t-shirt designs.”
“Tyson Foods was unaware of the t-shirt designs proposed by a team member,” the spokesman said. “Upon review, it was determined that the t-shirts do not meet the company’s dress code policy, and they will not be sold or distributed.”
It is unclear how the shirts violate the dress code policy. The company did not respond to follow-up questions.
The Arkansas-based corporation has faced criticism for years for embracing far-left politics. It openly declared earlier this year that it wanted to hire as many illegal migrants as it could, even as it shut down a plant that employed over 1,000 people in Iowa, stating that illegal workers were “very, very loyal.”
Its website features a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” tab that highlights the existence of multiple internal identity groups, including ones for “Latinx” employees and another “Pride” group.
Screenshot of Tyson Foods website
Numerous employees complained internally about the shirts offered for Juneteenth, which was made a national holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021. The shirts, according to the order form supplied to employees, were set to be created by a local vendor called Make It Happen Customz LLC.
The holiday, long celebrated locally in Texas, garnered nationwide attention as Black Lives Matter staged protests across the country in 2020 that were embraced by corporate America. Liberal commentators argued in 2020 that July 4 shouldn’t be celebrated because black Americans weren’t independent.
“Juneteenth — not the Fourth of July — was the real Independence Day,” wrote one author, further arguing that “it is difficult to take pride in being American” on July 4 because of the “intolerance and oppression” still present in society.
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