E-commerce giant Amazon is the latest billion dollar business to come under fire for housing racist merchandise on their website.
Just weeks after the widespread outrage over the viral photo of an H&M ad featuring a Black child in a racially offensive hoodie, Amazon faced criticism after one of the site’s third-party sellers listed apparel and accessories bearing the phrase, “Slavery Gets Sh*t Done.”
A photo of the items, which included t-shirts, baby clothes and backpacks, began circulating on social media earlier in the week.
Reactions to the merchandise ranged from people strongly suggesting that the site re-evaluate their vetting process for sellers, to some customers threatening to boycott the company altogether and calling for others to do the same.
Although they have yet to release an official statement on the incident, Amazon has since removed the items from its’ website. A spokesperson for the company reportedly told Reuters, “All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action including potential removal of their account.”
Unlike H&M and other retailers, Amazon currently operates as a free-flowing marketplace with a nearly non-existent vetting process for the third-party sellers on the front end. As a result, products for sale are only reviewed or vetted if problems arise.