Woke Acitivism in 2020: Even Candy Companies Issued Statements on Racism

I was making myself a cozy drink — peach black tea — at National Review’s Virginia office when I noticed our kitchen had been restocked with new snacks. I immediately recognized one of the colorful boxes: Gushers.

I hadn’t eaten Gushers in years, maybe not since fourth grade. A black market operated in the school cafeteria, where kids bartered for Gushers. I participated in this illicit trade because my mother rarely bought candy, and she obstinately refused to buy anything with food coloring. (“Ah! It has blue,” my mom would say as she read the ingredient label when my brother and I nudged her to buy some unhealthy snack at the grocery store. She would place the box back on the shelves, mumbling something like “It’s just chemicals.” She wasn’t wrong, but children are always frustrated when they are denied the opportunity to eat poisonous treats.)

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Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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I was making myself a cozy drink — peach black tea — at National Review’s Virginia office when I noticed our kitchen had been restocked with new snacks. I immediately recognized one of the colorful boxes: Gushers.

I hadn’t eaten Gushers in years, maybe not since fourth grade. A black market operated in the school cafeteria, where kids bartered for Gushers. I participated in this illicit trade because my mother rarely bought candy, and she obstinately refused to buy anything with food coloring. (“Ah! It has blue,” my mom would say as she read the ingredient label when my brother and I nudged her to buy some unhealthy snack at the grocery store. She would place the box back on the shelves, mumbling something like “It’s just chemicals.” She wasn’t wrong, but children are always frustrated when they are denied the opportunity to eat poisonous treats.)