Back in November, we reported on a Chattanooga, Tennessee father of a three-week-old baby girl who bought Pampers diapers at a Target. He told WCRBTV.com, “‘Diapers come in these two big plastic sleeves. You pull those out, and I noticed something drop and fall. And I know that sometimes companies will put coupons in boxes.’ A white, laminated note fell out and what was typed on it, Russell said, was shocking. ‘It said, ‘It’s okay to be white,’ and I looked on the back and it was just five or six websites that I recognized the language that was used from the Charlottesville incident late last year.’”
The dad alerted Pampers and Target via Twitter. “Target tweeted back apologizing and saying an investigation is underway. Channel 3 reached out to Pampers. A spokesperson said the company is investigating as well but does not believe the note was slipped into the package at their facility.” However, customers across the country were receiving these laminated notes in their boxes of diapers. Customer in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, DC, New Jersey and Tennessee all made complaints.
See below:
@LonnyWilk Wife and I bought these Target diapers and found a really racist, hateful laminated card inside under the diapers. On the front it says “it’s ok to be white!” My wife just gets a run around from the Target call centers. It’s clearly happening to others. What can we do? pic.twitter.com/2dxjRrUjse
— Mike (@mikelechter) March 2, 2018
Just opened a box of @Pampers from @Target and found some knuckle-dragging racist slipped this card into the box. BOLO for regressive charlatans. (The reverse had links for fascist, neo-nazi, and alt-right sites. Though that must mean all 3 are the same thing) pic.twitter.com/uFuGVRRcjx
— David Tad Russell (@DavidTadRussell) March 25, 2018
I’m certain this was in a yellow Target brand diaper box. I was volunteering at a diaper bank, wrapping donations for those in need and opening lots of boxes at once. This is why I’m so glad I found that gross, racist trash and not some in need new parent opening donated diapers!
— LollipopSailor (@LollipopSailor) March 28, 2018
@Target My girlfriend found this card in a box of Pampers Diapers she bought in the Fredericksburg, Va Target pic.twitter.com/5JgcKFqh0C
— Justin Deavers (@JFKforgot2DUCK) March 21, 2018
The man who was slipping white supremacist messages in boxes of diapers has been outed as an actual Target employee. A Target spokesperson told BuzzFeed, “After being made aware of the situation, we immediately launched a thorough investigation to address the concerns and put a stop to it. We have identified the source, and given this is a violation of our policies and our commitment to inclusivity, terminated the team member.” The employee was reportedly based in Minneapolis, but Target did not release their name.
The real question is: Did these racist messages reach the right idiot and they actually logged onto the websites? You never know, this is the era of “Make America great again.”