Racist Pancake Mix
Aunt Jemima will change its name and its mascot, with PepsiCo saying its origins are based on a racial stereotype
Associated Press
Aunt Jemima is changing its name and losing its mascot of a Black woman that has been criticized for years for its roots in racism and minstrelsy.
Parent company PepsiCo said new packaging will hit shelves late this year and that the brand's new name will follow soon after.
"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, Quaker Foods North America's chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
Land O'Lakes removed the drawing of a Native American woman on its packaging earlier this year, while Uncle Ben's says it is planning on "evolving" the rice brand.
Aunt Jemima is changing its name and losing its brand image of a Black woman, as parent company PepsiCo acknowledges the pancake brand's racist roots.
PepsiCo announced the change on Wednesday, saying that packaging without the Aunt Jemima mascot will hit shelves in the fourth quarter of this year. The brand's new name will be announced at a later date, quickly following the first phase of new packaging.
"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, Quaker Foods North America's chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough."
The Aunt Jemima brand has been criticized for years. The inspiration for the name was a minstrel song and the brand continued to be linked to racism in the eyes of many.
"This Aunt Jemima logo was an outgrowth of Old South plantation nostalgia and romance grounded in an idea about the 'mammy,' a devoted and submissive servant who eagerly nurtured the children of her white master and mistress while neglecting her own," Riché Richardson wrote in The New York Times in 2015.
In 1989, Quaker Oats rolled out a more "contemporary" look for Aunt Jemima — the sixth makeover that attempted to distance the mascot from the brand's racist roots. At the time, Quaker Oats said it would not be renaming the brand, with a spokesperson saying that Aunt Jemima's "familiarity and recognition is an invaluable asset."
Comments
Somebody please set up the green font option.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Aunt Jemima is a brand of pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast foods owned by the Quaker Oats Company of Chicago, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. The trademark dates back to 1893, although the Aunt Jemima pancake mix debuted in 1889. The Quaker Oats Company first registered the Aunt Jemima trademark in April 1937
Heard on the radio today it is being changed as well. Effin everything is racist don't you know.
WTF ?????
Thanks !!!!
I Grew Old Too Fast (And Smart Too damn Slow !!!) !!!
New name ? > I proffer Nubile Slut !
I still maintain, Bisquick makes the best pancakes. If you desire "buttermilk" flapjacks, just add a half teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the batter. Your palate will never notice any adjuncts.
Anyone remember eating at a Sambo's?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zqKCInOS8
Brad Steele
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Capt Crunch - White pedophile tempting children with sugar! ....... He's most likely gay too.