'Aunt Jemima' to Disappear From Store Shelves After 131 Years  | Voice of America - English
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A familiar face is about to disappear from kitchens and store shelves. After 131 years, Quaker Oats said it is retiring the Aunt Jemima name from its pancake mixes and syrup along with the image of a smiling African American woman. The furor over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody prompted the entire nation to re-examine racism and inequality between African Americans and other people of color, and white Americans. Quaker Oats said it has been looking at its numerous brands to ensure they reflect company values and what customers expect. "We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype. 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," spokeswoman Kristin Kroepfl said. Activists have been trying for years to get the company to scrap the Aunt Jemima name and the picture on the box. They see it as a holdover from a time in the United States when many black women were seen as cheerful "mammy" characters and housekeepers. The name Aunt Jemima was taken from a post-Civil War minstrel show and was used as the name for a new pancake flour in 1889. The owner of the mix hired Nancy Green, a woman who was once enslaved, to pose for the picture and portray Aunt Jemima at fairs and other events, dressing her in a white apron and kerchief to cook pancakes for visitors. White actresses also portrayed the character on radio programs and commercials in the 1930s and '40s. The picture of Aunt Jemima on the pancake box has evolved over the years from an overweight, kerchief-headed woman to a slim, modern woman. But no matter what she looks like, activists say Aunt Jemima was born out of slavery and must go. Shortly after Quaker Oats made its announcement Wednesday, the global food giant Mars said its Uncle Ben's brand of rice would "evolve," without giving details. Uncle Ben's uses a portrait of an African American man as its trademark. Earlier this year, Land O'Lakes dropped the picture of a Native American woman from its packages of butter and other dairy foods.