'Kohl's confirmed that they will be selling BLM merchandise' but are not selling 'back the blue' at this time.
Is Kohl's department store selling Black Lives Matter merchandise and not items supporting the 'Back the Blue' movement? No. But that hasn't stopped posts on social media from spreading the claim. 'Kohl's confirmed that they will be selling BLM merchandise,' one Facebook post says. 'They are not going to sell 'back the blue' at this time. I will no longer be a customer.' The post was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) In September 2020, Kohl's announced that it was partnering with Cream City Print Lounge, a Milwaukee-area Black-owned business, to create 'a line of tees for the whole family to support racial equality.' The company's headquarters, located in Menomonee Falls, is about 30 minutes from Milwaukee. The T-shirts feature slogans like 'Black culture is not a trend' and 'enough is enough,' as well as the raised fist symbol, which has long been a global symbol of fighting oppression, while also being associated with Black power and the Black Lives Matter movement. The items don't display the words 'Black Lives Matter' or the 'BLM' abbreviation. A spokesperson for Kohl's told PolitiFact that the collection is not affiliated with Black Lives Matter and benefits the National Urban League, a civil rights organization that advocates for economic and social justice for underserved urban communities. 'As part of this collection, Kohl's is donating $100,000 to the National Urban League which strengthens economic empowerment, equity and civil rights for underserved urban communities,' the company said in an emailed statement. 'This is one example of T-shirt assortments Kohl's has introduced to support the many customers and communities we serve, including an assortment of Pride graphic tees for customers to show their support of the LGBTQ+ community, and a collection celebrating Hispanic Heritage.' While Kohl's doesn't have a partnership with pro-police organizations, the company sells cowboy boots with a Thin Blue Line patch, one of the symbols of the Blue Lives Matter organization.
Our ruling Facebook posts claim that Kohl's is selling Black Lives Matter merchandise but not selling items supporting the Blue Lives Matter movement. Kohl's partnered with a Black-owned business from Milwaukee to produce a T-shirt collection that features anti-racism slogans and symbols that overlap with ones used by Black Lives Matter. But the collection is not affiliated with the Black Lives Matter organization, and Kohl's does sell at least one item that features symbols affiliated with the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement. We rate this False.