LOS ANGELES --- A space-themed, talking Hallmark graduation card is being pulled from store shelves because of the card’s reference to a black hole.
But members of the Los Angeles NAACP say the message sounds like "black whore" in the card's audio recording. That's how they hear it, and they say it's racist, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported.
"That was very demeaning to African-American women when it made reference to African-American women as whores, and at the end it says 'watch your back,'" said Leon Jenkins of the Los Angeles NAACP.
The Hallmark card reads, "Hey world, we are officially putting you on notice," before playfully touting the ambitious future of the new graduate.
Characters known as "Hoops" and "Yoyo" banter on: "And you black holes, you are so ominous. Watch your back."
Hallmark calls the outrage a misunderstanding, claiming that the space theme emphasizes the power the graduate has to take over the universe, even energy-absorbing black holes.
"The intent here is to say that this graduate is not afraid of anything," explained Hallmark spokesman Steve Doyal.
Apparently, NAACP members heard something different.
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