Twitter's attempt to celebrate Kwanzaa didn't go exactly as planned. Hoping to honor the holiday dedicated to Black heritage, the social media company used a hashtag and custom emoji of a Kinara.
As part of the holiday's centerpiece, the Kinara is supposed to hold seven candles, each representing Kwanzaa's principles. Twitter's emoji, however, only shows five candles. Adding insult to injury, the emoji used a blue candle. In reality, Kwanzaa's colors are actually red, black and green.
“This was an error. We have now corrected and uploaded a new emoji that is a more accurate rendering of the Kinara," the company said in a statement to HuffPost. "Just a note that it may take a few hours for the change to appear live on all devices globally.”
Although the company has now fixed the emoji, social media users had plenty to say after recognizing the glaring error.
"Happy Kwanzaa to all my followers who celebrate throughout the diaspora! And maybe Twitter can run over there and add the right number of candles to #Kwanzaa," one Twitter user said. "I'm sure there is room."
Happy Kwanzaa to all my followers who celebrate throughout the diaspora!
And maybe twitter can run over there and add the right number of candles to #Kwanzaa… I'm sure there is room…
— Sarah Tuttle (@niais) December 26, 2019
Apparently, Twitter hasn't done enough research on the holiday, so people took the time to educate the company.
"@Twitter the #Kwanzaa candles are WRONG," one person wrote. "There should be seven: that's three red on one side, three green on the other side and one black in the center. Why is there even a blue candle? Do y'all not have folks do research beforehand?"
@Twitter the #Kwanzaa candles are WRONG. 1-there should be 7: that's 3 red on one side, 3 green on the other side, and 1 black in the center.
Why is there even a blue candle? Do y'all not have folks do research beforehand?
— Nadroj Holmes (@NadrojHolmes) December 26, 2019
"@twitter, the kinara has seven candles, not five," said Jenifer Daniels on Twitter.
@twitter, the kinara has 7 candles, not 5. #Kwanzaa
— jenifer daniels ⏳ (@jentrification) December 26, 2019
Another person posted a Kwanzaa picture drawn by a child and urged the company to do better.
"Do better Twitter!" the Twitter user said. "Made by my 6 year old, now 7 year old son!"
I got you! Do better twitter! Made by my 6 year old now 7 year old son! pic.twitter.com/p0FUNTW4TB
— Jen White-Johnson ????✊???? (@jtknoxroxs) December 26, 2019
Some didn't see the mistake as an accident.
"This is deliberate," one person said.
This is deliberate.
— Ricardo Harvin (@RicardoHarvin) December 26, 2019
Another Twitter user said, "they trying to be inclusive but don’t got a clue."
They trying to be inclusive but don’t got a clue
— Remy No Chaser (@Mavrik413) December 27, 2019
"They hate us," Communicate For Health Justice, a platform for social justice, tweeted.
Sweet. Baby. Jesus. Just noticed this! ????????♀️
— Communicate For Health Justice (@_CFHJ) December 26, 2019
According to the Official Kwanzaa Website, Kwanzaa is a pan-African holiday celebrated from December 26 – January 1. Dr. Maulana Karenga, chair of Africana Studies at California State University Long Beach, created the holiday in 1966 to honor family, community and culture. The seven principles, written in Swahili and English, represent unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Twitter also honored the holiday on the company's other accounts.
"This is a time of honoring African Americans' ancestral roots," the company wrote on its account, Twitter Blackbirds. "Today (#Umoja) is all about striving for and maintaining unity in the family, community, nation and race."
According to Business Insider, Twitter has faced problems due to its lack of diversity within the company. Only 5.7% of the company's employees are Black, Business Insider reported.
Ev Williams, co-founder of Twitter and now CEO of Medium, said the company's lack of diversity has contributed to the amount of abuse social media users face online.
"Had I been more aware of how people not like me were being treated and/or had I had a more diverse leadership team or board, we may have made it a priority sooner," Williams wrote on Twitter earlier this year.
Had I been more aware of how people not like me were being treated and/or had I had a more diverse leadership team or board, we may have made it a priority sooner.
— Ev (@ev) May 22, 2019
According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, diverse companies are more likely to have accurate facts, become more creative and stay objective.