Families of Aunt Jemima Models Want More Than Just a Brand Change Aunt Jemima Families of Models . Want More Than Just a Brand Change
Aunt Jemima s name and face are now scrubbed from the breakfast products she s fronted for more than a century a move in the right direction, but far from enough to do justice to the women who served as her model . so say their descendants.
Lillian Richard and
Anna Short Harrington both served as models for Aunt Jemima at different points in the early 20th century, well before the most recent version with the woman in pearls.
Parent company Quaker Oats said in June it was going to distance the line of pancake mixes and syrups from the old name, which the company conceded was based on a racial stereotype.
Quaker Oats announced they’d change the brand name back in June, saying the product is based on a “racial stereotype.”
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, a spokesperson for Quaker, said in a press release. “As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we must also take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations.”
The character was inspired by the 19th century “mammy” minstrel character which was a black woman who was happy to serve her white masters. Nancy Green, a former slave, was the first face of the product back in 1893, according to NPR.
Aunt Jemima’s new name mocked on social media: ‘Doesn’t sound like something edible’
Updated Feb 10, 2021;
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Aunt Jemima’s new name is getting mocked mercilessly on social media.
Quaker Oats, a division of PepsiCo Inc., announced Tuesday that its iconic pancake mix and syrup will be renamed the “Pearl Milling Company.” Aunt Jemima products will continue to be sold until June when the brand name change takes effect; products will still have the same familiar red packaging.
Pearl Milling Company is named after the company founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri, that originated the self-rising pancake mix.