Woman Says Hobby Lobby’s Cotton Display Insensitive Toward Blacks

A Texas woman who said a Hobby Lobby store’s decision to display a vase containing cotton stalks is insensitive toward blacks is gaining attention on social media.

Daniell Rider posted a photo on Hobby Lobby’s corporate Facebook page Thursday of multiple vases containing cotton stalks, calling it “wrong on so many levels.”

“This decor is WRONG on SO many levels,” Rider wrote. “There is nothing decorative about raw cotton… A commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves.”

“A little sensitivity goes a long way,” she added, asking the retailer to “remove this decor.”

The post has been shared more than 20,000 times and has more than 217,000 comments as of Monday afternoon.

Hobby Lobby has not yet released a statement or commented on the matter, but many Facebook users sounded off in support of the retailer.

“Take all the cotton out of your clothing, bed clothes, thread, drapes, etc. What do you have left? Ill enjoy the cotton and yes I think it is a pretty plant,” one user said.

“This is ridiculous. There is so much more to worry about and this actually makes really cute fall decor,” another user wrote.

It is unclear which Hobby Lobby location had the cotton-filled vases on display. However, Hobby Lobby has a ““Bottled Cotton Arrangement” available for purchase in its online store that looks identical to the cotton arrangement depicted in Rider’s photo.

The retailer also sells individual cotton stems and a “Polyester Cotton Wreath.”

Hobby Lobby is not the only entity to receive criticism for putting cotton stalks on display.

The president of a Tennessee university received backlash from black students for placing cotton stalk centerpieces on the tables at a dinner meant for African American students to share their experiences about the university.