WalMart Under Fire for Promoting Gangsta Rap During Black History Month
WalMart has come under attack for its inclusion of hip-hop-related films in promotional displays celebrating February's Black History Month.
The retail giant chose to feature DVD titles like Ice Cube's 'The Player's Club' and 'Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel,' but rejected 'For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Patriots,' a four-hour mini-series documentary by Frank Martin which examines the sacrifice and heroism of black service men and women throughout American history.
The PBS mini-series, which took Martin ten years to finish, features a star studded cast, including John Travolta, Danny Glover, Colin Powell, Angela Bassett, Susan Sarandon and Morgan Freeman, and is hosted by Halle Berry.
"To not include that, but to include the gangster rap things, just seems crazy to me," Martin said in a recent interview. "It just defies logic. At a time when we need to influence young people with positive things, why would they not carry this amazing story?"
A spokesperson from WalMart claims they made their decision based upon sales, price and release date, rather than content. So, in other words, in celebration of Black History Month, Wal-Mart attempted to make as much money as possible.