Converse apologizes and removes ad many said used Ku Klux Klan imagery

“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong,” Converse said in a statement shared with ABC News. “We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened and we will do better.”

It’s unclear who designed or approved the ad.

‘Insensitive and distasteful’

Critics quickly called out the ad when it debuted online.

“Who approved this? Who looked at these images and thought they would sell shoes?” said Kendall Peacock, who runs the Education Firm, an Atlanta-based tutoring and mentorship program. “As a Black man and someone who loves Converse shoes, I find this very insensitive and distasteful.”

Photographer Stephanie Schwartz wrote, “Shadow, light and composition. Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing.”

Even politicians criticized Converse and its parent company Nike.

“Nike and Converse, what the hell were you thinking?” Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said in a statement. “Black pain is not a marketing prop. Lynching is not a creative concept. The Ku Klux Klan is not an aesthetic. This campaign should never have been created, approved or released. Nike and Converse must answer for it. You have caused real harm and repairing that harm will require more than an apology written by your public relations department.”

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt added that Converse’s apology doesn’t explain how the ad was approved in the first place.

“Converse says sorry. The image was still up hours later,” he wrote on social media. “An apology doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step. We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test.