Aunt Jemima Brand To Change Name, Remove Image, Quaker Oats Announces

Leeda.the.Paladin

Well-Known Member
Aunt Jemima brand to change name, remove image, Quaker Oats announces
NEWS


by: Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Jun 17, 2020 / 06:59 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 17, 2020 / 07:24 AM CDT

Credit: WCMH


(WCMH) — Quaker Oats announced Wednesday it will remove the name and image of the Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix.

The move is part of an effort by the company to “make progress toward racial equality,” the company said in a statement first obtained by NBC News.

The company said in its statement that it recognizes that “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”

The brand, which spans over 120 years, features a black woman named after a character from 19th-century minstrel shows. The company’s history timeline says Aunt Jemima was first “brought to life” by Nancy Green, who was born a slave in 1834 in Kentucky. She became the face of the product in 1890.

While Green was portrayed as a “Mammy,” Aunt Jemima has since evolved, replacing her red bandanna with pearls and curls in 1989.

“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release. “As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations.”

Quaker said the new packaging is due out in the fall of 2020, and a new name will be announced at a later date, NBC News reported.
 

yamilee21

Well-Known Member
A while ago, there was a “debate” on Facebook about whether Mrs. Butterworth was supposed to be black or not... I just saw an article stating that she was meant to be “grandmotherly” but her *shape* does evoke the mammy stereotype... looks like she might disappear too for being potentially problematic. Has there been any mention of the Cream of Wheat man, the black chef, in all of this? The competition, Farina, features a little white boy... I always wondered how that influenced shoppers, a black guy I knew boycotted Cream of Wheat. How many other images are finally going to go?

On a related note, my mom grew up in a black country, and her father was so well known as “Uncle Ben” that his own kids referred to him that way. (“Uncle” is a general courtesy title indicating respect.) So when she came to the US, and saw Uncle Ben’s rice in the stores, the image and name reminded her of her dad, and she started buying that brand. But she almost never bought Aunt Jemima’s products, because that image was more recognizably based in racism to her.
 

nyeredzi

Well-Known Member
Am I the only one who wants it to stay? :look: They’ve already given her a makeover, that’s good enough.
I don't find the current image offensive. So in one sense I really don't care about this. On the other hand, the name has so much baggage attached to it, and both the current image and name are still so tied to the old image, might be better to just let it all go.
 

OhTall1

Well-Known Member
A while ago, there was a “debate” on Facebook about whether Mrs. Butterworth was supposed to be black or not... I just saw an article stating that she was meant to be “grandmotherly” but her *shape* does evoke the mammy stereotype... looks like she might disappear too for being potentially problematic.
We had a thread about Mrs. Butterworth when KFC did their chicken and waffle commercials.

https://longhaircareforum.com/threads/kfc-and-ms-butterworth-tried-it.842983/
 

Everything Zen

Well-Known Member
I’m irritated that this became a thing because I had to smack down some faux woke whites on SM about this who were out here trying to “educate” people on the history of Nancy Green and how the “BLM hero” was being erased.

I told them First of all do you really care about this “hero” and y’all do know you can still buy the syrup- it just won’t have a fat black woman’s face on it and Second if you had any black friends in real life and one basic google search would give historical context to this. I told them to shut up before speaking about stuff they obviously don’t know about.

They came back sniveling and groveling with a quickness. :rolleyes:
 
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SoniT

Well-Known Member
I’m irritated that this became a thing because I had to smack down some faux woke whites on SM about this who were out here trying to “educate” people on the history of Nancy Green and how the “BLM hero” was being erased.

I told them First of all do you really care about this “hero” and y’all do know you can still buy the syrup- it just won’t have a fat black woman’s face on it and Second if you had any black friends in real life and one basic google search would give historical context to this. I told them to shut up before speaking about stuff they obviously don’t know about.

They can back sniveling and groveling with a quickness. :rolleyes:
I just saw those types of comments in response to an article posted about this. They don't care about Nancy Green. They got a lot of nerve telling Black people how we should feel. :mad:
 

Reinventing21

Spreading my wings
Maybe they can put a pretty an modern dipiction of Nancy Green and name it Sweet Nancy Syrup or something...alog with her full name in the logo.
 

Leeda.the.Paladin

Well-Known Member
I don’t mind the black woman with Pearls and a rollerset being the face of the company, but they need to change the name for sure. Maybe start a new marketing campaign with a new name and revamped image. Hey, maybe name the new mascot after the original woman ( her real name), if people really want to consider her legacy.

Companies and images change over time based on the populations needs and wants.
 

chocolat79

Well-Known Member
I'm glad they're changing it. It's rooted in racial stereotypes, no matter what "current" depiction they have on the bottle now. They could change it to jazzy Auntie and it'd still be the same for me. But it doesn't matter to me now because I'll be patronizing a couple of Black-owned pancake/syrup companies, so they won't be getting my Black dollar.

Here's a couple that I've found, if anyone is interested (also healthier).

https://blanketps.com/

https://www.michelefoods.com/our-products/
 
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