Sports brand Nike has sold commemorative shoes on major festivals over the years, but the commemorative shoes on July 4 this year will be canceled because the design caused racist debate.
The shoes that were canceled were named “Air Max 1 USA”, which was specially designed to celebrate the US Independence Day and was originally scheduled to be sold on Thursday. According to informed sources, Nike decided on July 1 to commemorate the cancellation of shoes.
The shoe’s heel has an early American flag pattern with 13 white stars in a circle. It was created during the American Revolutionary War and is often referred to as the “Bethy Ross Flag.” The 13 stars represent 13 American colonies, reminiscent of slavery in American history. Some people think that this is only the early American flag, but some people say that this flag has a racist history and is aggressive.
Colin Kaepernick, the NFL star and activist, told Nike that he should not sell a shoe that makes him and others feel offensive.