Viola Davis slams Target over racist Halloween costume and REJECTS retail giant's public apology

Viola Davis has slammed Target after the retail giant apologized for selling a racist Halloween costume

Target issued a public apology for the offensive children's costume on Monday, saying that they were 'deeply sorry' for the oversight and had removed the item. 

Despite the apology, Davis, 61, slammed Target in a fiery post on the social media app Threads. 

'Target, I do not accept your apology, and I do not believe that you understand the impact... the pain... the dehumanization of the above,' the EGOT winner wrote. 

'These images laid the foundation and the ideology for every atrocity that has been committed against my people,' she continued.

'We MATTER! You have shown us that you are not on OUR side.'

Davis is just one of seven black artists to win an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award) and is the most-nominated black actress in Academy Awards history with four total nominations.

Target's 'Circus Clown Halloween Costume', retailing for $25, sparked outrage after it was advertised using an image of a black child wearing it.

Customers criticized the costume's glaring resemblance to racist caricatures of black people - minstrel clowns in particular.

An image shared online showed the costume's similarities to an illustration of the minstrel character Jim Crow.

Minstrel shows were performances which started in 1830s New York.

They were performed by white people who would rub black shoe polish or burnt cork over their faces to make themselves resemble a distorted caricature of an enslaved African person. 

Thousands of social media users criticized Target, with one writing: 'This is exactly why you need a diverse team in the room!'

'How many approval processes did this go through prior to releasing it?' another asked. 

After the intense backlash, Target issued a statement on Monday apologizing for the costume.

'As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,' the statement read. 

'It is no longer available for sale. We know this is especially hurtful for our black guests, team members and partners.

'Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again.' 

Target has previously faced criticism for its decision to roll back ​on DEI initiatives.

Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis ​business leader, told Reuters she believed the sale of the offensive Halloween costume was an indirect result of the DEI measures.

'You rolled back diversity,' she said, 'so who's in the ‌room, now, ⁠to say 'hey, this is wrong?'