Originally published in The Washington Post February 24, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Washington Post
By Avis Thomas-Lester, Washington Post Staff Writer
The
green and yellow flier from the Kmart in Aspen Hill proclaimed,
"Celebrate Black History" and then advertised "3 for $1 Jiffy Corn
Muffin Mix" and "3 for $10 Tone 6-Bar Soap."
The makers of Metamucil and Pepto-Bismol ran a full-page ad in this
month's Ebony magazine declaring, "Black History Month is a legacy of
pride and achievement leading to a healthier tomorrow." The ad
continues, "It's the same ideals you turn to when it comes to your GI
Health -- a history of digestive solutions."
The advertisements are among dozens that tout laxatives, cars, even
yoga classes under the guise of paying homage to African American
history. Educators and some civil rights activists say they are
bothered by what they consider exploitation of a season meant to honor
the contributions of black Americans. But marketing experts say the
trend is not surprising in a nation that once considered draping
advertising banners across the base of the Statue of Liberty.
"Eventually any piece of history or American culture gets trivialized
by advertisers," said Barbara Lippert, the advertising critic for
Adweek magazine. "They just use any opportunity as a platform to sell
something. . . . Everything becomes about buying and selling."
Activist Jesse L. Jackson said that some of the ads are produced by the
same companies that "denied access" to blacks and that they trivialize
the historic struggle.
"What pains me
is that these ads are feel-good sessions about a black general who did
this or someone who sang a song or a political figure who worked on
this, and 'Aren't there some wonderful black people?' " he said. "Of
course that is true, but they don't deal with issues like . . . why
black people work as hard and make less, why black people are stressed
out and don't live as long."
Deena Barlev, who teaches a civil rights course at a Montgomery County
middle school, was heading into Kmart to buy socks on sale when she saw
the flier.
"I was thinking the store
was celebrating Black History Month. Then I looked further down the
flier and saw that they were advertising Tone bar soap . . . and
cornbread mix," Barlev said. "I thought, 'No, they didn't!' "
In a statement, Kmart officials said the fliers are a "celebration of the contributions African Americans
have made to America's history." The statement said the store is
sponsoring a "scholarship sweepstakes" in which entrants can vie for a
$20,000 certificate of deposit. The company also "incorporates special
sale pricing of popular items."
In the District, U Street Yoga is advertising a "Black History Month
Yoga Class" to "encourage African Americans to embrace their heritage
through yoga, which has roots in African culture."
Black History Month, celebrated in February, got its start in the 1920s
as Negro History Week, when D.C. historian Carter G. Woodson sought to
encourage teachers to include contributions by African Americans in their history lessons.
Advertisers began linking their marketing efforts to the celebration
years ago, Lippert said, recalling an ad that used a digitally altered
scene of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his 1963 "I Have a Dream"
speech at the Lincoln Memorial to sell telecommunications products.
Lippert said advertisers have a long history of "exploiting" history to
sell products. A company that manufactured the children's laxative
Fletcher's Castoria proposed hanging a banner with its name on the
pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in exchange for paying into the
statue's construction, she said.
Some
advertisers link their ads to a charitable cause, but Lippert said many
are token donations. "They jump on these teeny charitable donations to
be able to exploit [the holiday], then turn around and say, 'Exploit?
We don't exploit.' "
Many ads pay
tribute to black history without mentioning a product. Toyota ran an ad
this month honoring Philip Emeagwali, who in 1975 "theorized the
HyperBall International Network of computers. Today, we call it the
Internet."
Wal-Mart's ads celebrate the
"Buffalo Soldiers." A McDonald's newspaper ad spotlighted exceptional
students at Friendship Edison Public Charter School in the District.
In ads this month in Ebony and Jet magazines, Ford Motor Co. takes
credit for improving the lot of black Americans: "Henry Ford recognized
the value of a skilled workforce -- regardless of race. And when Ford .
. . became the first major corporation to pay African American workers
equal pay for equal work, it helped give birth to the Black middle
class."
Ford spokesman Mitchell Johnson said the firm was among the first to
hire blacks into high-paying jobs, helping to spur the migration of African Americans
from the South to the North. "We want to be out there on the forefront
because of our heritage of supporting the communities we do business
with," he said.
Other ads -- such as the Procter & Gamble ad for Metamucil, Pepto-Bismol and Prilosec -- refer directly to products.
Vince Hudson, marketing director for the company's "GI brands," said
the ad was intended to show a connection between the progress blacks
have made in society and in their health. "We are celebrating all the
contributions African Americans have made and the
rich history and traditions," said Hudson, who is black. "This ad is a
salute to that from brands that have been there throughout the history,
also."
Lawrence Guyot, a civil rights
activist who once led the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, said
black history "should not be ground into the economic acquisition
machine."
Researchers Meg Smith and Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.