A company spokesperson said Quaker Oats recognized that past updates to the brand were not enough.REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
- Quaker Oats announced Wednesday it will reimagine its Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix.
- Aunt Jemima was fashioned after a "mammy" caricature, a racist depiction that portrays Black female slaves as smiling, happy homemakers for white people.
- A company spokesperson said Quaker Oats, which makes the product, recognizes that "Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype."
- Aunt Jemima is not the only problematic brand that's been a staple in American culture.
Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, announced Wednesday that it will retire its Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix, saying the company recognizes that "Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype."
In the late 1800s, the Missouri newspaper editor Chris L. Rutt decided to name his brand of self-rising flour after "Aunt Jemima," a song performed by minstrel actors. A former slave named Nancy Green was later hired to portray Aunt Jemima as a "mammy," a racist caricature that depicts female slaves as smiling, happy homemakers for white families.
"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."
Kroepfl said the company has worked to "update" the brand over the years to be "appropriate and respectful," but it realized the changes were insufficient.
Hours after Quaker Oats announced it was changing its Aunt Jemima logo, Mars, which makes the boxed rice product Uncle Ben's, said it plans to change the product's "brand identity." Uncle Ben's was named after a Black domestic servant.
These two products, however, are hardly the only racist ones to have been a staple in American culture. Here are several other offensive logos and mascots that have existed throughout history.
Katie Richards, Kim Bhasin, Aaron Taube, and Karlee Weinmann contributed to an earlier version of this article.