LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas teacher's TikTok post is going viral after she found inaccurate Black history information on a product she purchased from a local Target store. The video has racked up more than 1.5 million views on the social media platform since it was first posted.
"I don't know who is in charge of it at Target but these need to be pulled off the shelves immediately,” said Tierra Espy, a history teacher at Cheyenne High School.
Espy posted the video on TikTok at the end of January. In the video, she can be heard addressing the errors she found printed on a learning magnet from Target.
“I noticed some discrepancies like as soon as I opened this,” Espy said.
She points out that the names Carter G. Woodson and W. E. B. Du Bois are mixed up on the magnet.
"This is not Carter G. Woodson. This is W. E. B. Du Bois. Peep the 'stache. Peep the 'stache. They got the name wrong,” Espy continued.
Espy said that isn’t the only mistake she noticed.
"This is not W. E. B. Du Bois. This is Booker T. Washington. Peep the little fancy bow tie. Peep the little fancy bow tie and this is not Booker T. Washington. This is Carter Woodson,” Espy said.
Espy said she couldn't believe what she has discovered.
"Shocked and hurt to see such three dominant historical figures get disrespected in that light, especially as a history teacher. It really hurt seeing that,” Espy said.
Espy said she's relieved that her voice and the voice of her followers is being heard.
“I heard Target took it off the shelves within two days of me posting the video and I heard it through TikTok,” Espy said.
In a statement, Target wrote that it will not be selling the product anymore and it has notified the product's publisher of the errors.
"You have to get things right and not spread misinformation in order for us to understand and really stretch the impact of our history,” Espy said. “When they saw the mistake and they realized the mistake, it made me feel that people actually cared how important our history is."
