Companies are selling Juneteenth branded products. Here's why that's a big problem

Juneteenth, or Emancipation Day, commemorates the end of slavery on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, in compliance with President Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Here, a young woman stands near a piece of art created during the Louisville Juneteenth Festival at the Big Four Lawn on June 19, 2021, in Louisville, Ky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

From store-branded Juneteenth ice cream to Juneteenth-themed paper plates and party supplies, to even selling a Juneteenth watermelon salad, many large companies and brands are facing backlash for their efforts to commemorate the federal holiday signed into law last year.

Following its negative reaction on social media, Walmart pulled its special edition flavor of ice cream commemorating Juneteenth from shelves, with many critics calling out the retailer for capitalizing on the holiday for profit.