Converse Removes Ad That Drew Comparisons to K.K.K. Imagery

“As a Black man and someone who loves Converse shoes, I find this very insensitive and distasteful,” Kendall Peacock, who runs the Education Firm, a tutoring and mentorship program in Atlanta, said on social media.

“Deliberate racist intent hasn’t been established yet, but that doesn’t erase the impact,” he added.

Stephanie Schwartz, a social justice photographer, wrote on social media, “Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing.”

Online commentators said that, taken together, the design evoked a lynching.

“We’re sorry,” Converse said in an emailed statement on Saturday. “We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong.”

“We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared,” the statement added. “This should not have happened and we will do better.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/business/converse-sneaker-ad-kkk.html