The troubling history of this fictional figure is well documented coming straight out of a minstrel show but the companies making it were happy to sit by for the past 130 years and do. Pepsico the parent company that makes and sells aunt jemima brand syrup and pancake batter decided to discontinue the aunt jemima product line because the name and imagery is based on racist stereotypes. The longstanding brand which has been in existence since 1889 is centered around the name and photo of a black.
But as well known as aunt jemima products might be the racist origins are not. Quaker oats is retiring the more than 130 year old aunt jemima brand and logo acknowledging its origins are based on a racial stereotype. Known to households everywhere as a line of pancake mixes and other breakfast products the company admitted that the logo for the eponymous aunt jemima line was based on a racial stereotype.
Pepsico subsidiary quaker oats announced on wednesday that it would be changing the name and packaging of its line of aunt jemima food products. Syrup bottles from aunt jemima are in a supermarket benno schwinghammer picture alliance via getty images shedding racist images and branding is just the start of breaking the jemima code. The aunt jemima brand dates back to 1889 inspired by a minstrel song old aunt jemima and the original model for the woman on the packaging was a former slave named nancy green.
Aunt jemima was first brought to life by nancy green a. The pancake mix debuted in 1889 and the inspiration for the logo featuring a black woman came from the minstrel song old aunt jemima. Case in point a magazine ad from 1938 that depicted the white jones family lamenting the sorry state of mom s pancakes.
The aunt jemima brand has long reflected the values of a less woke time. Racist food images to be banned. Wednesday 17 june 2020 aunt jemima is no more uncle ben about to be fired.
Now he s sharing his collection with the world. New racism museum reveals the ugly truth behind aunt jemima david pilgrim has spent decades collecting racist pictures signs and knickknacks.
