KC Toyota Office Under Major Fire After Serving Only Watermelon on Juneteenth, Even After Employees Said It Wasn’t A Good Idea
According to a Toyota Parts Distribution Center employee, the Juneteenth event planning fell under the responsibility of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee, consisting entirely of white men. The post KC Toyota Office Under Major Fire After Serving Only Watermelon on Juneteenth, Even After Employees Said It Wasn’t A Good Idea appeared first on Kansas City Defender.
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During a presentation on the significance of Juneteenth, employees were anticipating a thoughtful selection of food honoring the historical emancipation of enslaved Black people in America. However, their expectations were shattered when they were met with an unfortunate and highly problematic selection: watermelon.
“Acknowledge us as people. Stop taking us as a joke,” Jarret Bolden, an employee at a Kansas City Toyota Parts Distribution Center, told FOX4KC.
According to Kim McCarthy, another Toyota Parts Distribution Center employee, the Juneteenth event planning fell under the responsibility of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee, consisting entirely of white men.
“I turned around and asked a member that’s on the DNI team – which is the diversity and inclusion team – I said, ‘What the heck? This isn’t OK.’ And he just laughed,” said Kim McCarthy to FOX4KC.
Despite this objection, watermelon remained the sole item served following the Juneteenth presentation. Even after multiple employees expressed their offense and objections, the watermelon was not removed until the next day.
“A slap in the face, very disrespectful, you know. They preach Black lives matter, but kind of like they were making a joke out of us,” a Black employee said.
The same employee shared their frustration with management and members of the D&I committee, highlighting their lack of understanding regarding the offensive nature of their choices. Shockingly, some even laughed at her concerns. One person in management defended their decision by saying, “We didn’t mean to offend anybody; it’s just a part of the presentation.”
This is a developing story.
The post KC Toyota Office Under Major Fire After Serving Only Watermelon on Juneteenth, Even After Employees Said It Wasn’t A Good Idea appeared first on Kansas City Defender.
