By Lori
May 13, 2021
After Uncle Ben’s products were taken off shelves last June of 2020 amidst calls for racial equality, the new Ben’s Original brand is now showing up on shelves as the new name and revamped packaging.
As you might recall, the old Uncle Ben’s packaging featured a white-haired Black man with a bow tie that critics thought evoked servitude. The new packaging does not have a face but has an orange background with a similar blue font.
As part of Ben’s Original debut, Mars is also rolling out a $2-million investment for culinary scholarships for Black chefs in partnership with the National Urban League and United Negro College Fund and investing $2.5-million in Greenville, Mississippi where Uncle Ben’s products have been produced for over 40 years.
By papa keith
Aunt Jemima s name and face are now gone.
Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington both served as models for Aunt Jemima at different points, and well before the most recent version with the woman in pearls.
Vera Richard Harris, Lillian s great-niece wants to see Lillian s name plus the names of all the other models who portrayed Jemima inscribed on the new Pearl Milling Company packaging, to honor their contributions.
Harris doesn t want her great-aunt, or any of the other models, to be forgotten, as does Wanetta Cowan great-granddaughter of Anna who says these conglomerates have made a fortune off their family members images for decades.
By papa keith
Aunt Jemima s name and face are now gone.
Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington both served as models for Aunt Jemima at different points, and well before the most recent version with the woman in pearls.
Vera Richard Harris, Lillian s great-niece wants to see Lillian s name plus the names of all the other models who portrayed Jemima inscribed on the new Pearl Milling Company packaging, to honor their contributions.
Harris doesn t want her great-aunt, or any of the other models, to be forgotten, as does Wanetta Cowan great-granddaughter of Anna who says these conglomerates have made a fortune off their family members images for decades.