title: Food brands are phasing out racist mascots. Will sports teams follow?
content: Norma Dunning still remembers the elderly passenger on a flight who asked her , “ Where are you from ? ”
  “ Edmonton , ” Dunning replied , but the woman shook her head . “ No , no , no . Where are you from ? ”
  Dunning understood the woman wanted to know her ethnicity . But when she answered , “ Inuit , ” she got a blank stare . Finally , Dunning said , “ I ’ m Eskimo . ”
  She dislikes the term , but caricatures of her ethnic group in popular culture , including food branding , make it the term non-Indigenous people know best . Eskimo Pie , which has been around since 1921 , features a smiling boy in a fur-lined parka on its packaging . The Canadian slurpee brand Cold Sucks also includes a parka-clad Inuit boy .
  These depictions , Dunning asserts , lead strangers to believe that if Inuit individuals don ’ t have harpoons and eat raw meat , they ’ re inauthentic . “ We can never get away from that image , ” said Dunning , whose book , Eskimo Pie : A Poetics of Inuit Identity just debuted . “ We have to think about how these renderings of Indigenous people have a subconscious effect on the public imagination . ”
  Hopefully , that ’ s about to change . In a statement last week to ███ , a spokesperson for Dreyer ’ s Grand Ice Cream said : “ We have been reviewing our Eskimo Pie business for some time and will be changing the brand name and marketing . We… recognize the term is derogatory . ”
  As support for Black Lives Matter spreads across the globe , attention has turned to how stereotypical images of people of color are an inherent facet of mainstream culture , right down to our breakfast options . Prompted by this moment of national reckoning , Quaker announced last week it would remove the image and name of Aunt Jemima from its products because the character originated from a stereotype . This cued the parent companies of Cream of Wheat and Uncle Ben ’ s to announce they are also re-evaluating their imagery .
  Not everyone is pleased . In response to Eskimo Pie ’ s imminent name change , Donald Trump Jr tweeted : “ The bullshit never ends. ” But for people from ethnic groups that receive little other representation , in media or otherwise , these food rebrands could help change public perception about them – and stop reinforcing centuries-old stereotypes .
  “ It ’ s a part of the narrative that black people were happy as slaves and , then , later , as servants during the Jim Crow period , ” David Pilgrim said .
  Founder and curator at the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia in Big Rapids , Michigan , Pilgrim educates visitors about artifacts that dehumanize people of color . Pilgrim , who is also vice president of diversity and inclusion at Ferris State University , says brands like Aunt Jemima not only stem from racial stereotypes but popularized them too . Aunt Jemima creator Charles Rutt used the name after seeing a minstrel show skit about a mammy called Jemima in the late 1800s ; he proceeded to use real-life black women to portray the character . Such figures would later appear in films such as 1934 ’ s Imitation of Life in which a black character gifts her pancake recipe to a white woman who becomes rich as a result . This storyline illustrates the insidiousness of the mammy – she doesn ’ t question her servitude or challenge the whites profiting from it .
  The names Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben trouble Pilgrim because they reflect how whites refused to call African Americans Mrs or Mr – titles they didn ’ t think black people deserved . But the name Rastus , the character on Cream of Wheat products , is even more offensive .
  “ It is a racist slur , ” he said . “ We don ’ t hear it much any more , but when you look at old racist jokes that appeared in newspapers and magazines , black characters were often named Rastus and portrayed as being barely intelligent . ”
  It ’ s hard to comprehend the longevity of these characters , given their racist origins . Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have both undergone makeovers over the years to make them more palatable . The former got a headband to replace her kerchief in 1968 and was restyled as a “ young grandmother ” in 1989 , while the latter was rebranded as chairman of the board instead of a domestic servant in 2007 . But Americus Reed II , a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania ’ s Wharton School , said that Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter protests have given Americans time to reflect on their values and connect the dehumanizing branding of people of color to systemic inequality .
  “ In normal times , you don ’ t have the heightened consumer awareness that ’ s been triggered by Covid and George Floyd , ” Reed said . Economic instability and state lockdowns have made Americans pickier shoppers . This trend lines up with the racial awakening the nation is now undergoing , with customers threatening to boycott brands accused of racial discrimination . “ Making Aunt Jemima into a hip modern grandma could probably be tolerated ordinarily , ” Reed said . But after America reshapes in the wake of civil unrest and a pandemic , “ [ Brands ] basically have to change if they want consumers to come back to them . ”
  Socially conscious consumers may be inspiring food companies to rebrand , but don ’ t expect sports teams to follow suit . The longevity of racist mascots parallels the longevity of racist food branding and indicates the historic dehumanization of black and indigenous peoples in North America is interlinked .
  “ From our name , the Jim Crow museum , you wouldn ’ t know it , but we have hundreds of pieces which defame Native Americans , and there are lots of parallels , ” Pilgrim said . “ Any time we use racist portrayals of any group of people , it is harmful . ”
  As Eskimo Pies are phased out , Dunning hopes that it will spark other changes , like Canadian football team the Edmonton Eskimos , for instance . In the US , calls for the Washington Redskins , Chicago Blackhawks , Cleveland Indians , and Atlanta Braves to rename themselves have long gone unheard . For Megan Red Shirt-Shaw , founder of the literary publication Natives in America , the Washington name is most offensive .
  “ We don ’ t love the other terms either , ” she said , “ but that ’ s the most problematic , and I think the hope is that if that ’ s the first one to be removed , the other teams would also follow suit with their names and logos . ”
  Washington owner Dan Snyder refuses to change the team name , despite new demands to do so and the removal of team founder George Preston Marshall ’ s statue from RFK Stadium last week . Red Shirt-Shaw , who is Oglala Lakota , said the name has caused generations of trauma .
  “ I was meeting people who had never met a Native person , and their only conception of Native peoples is from this branding of sports teams or old western movies , ” she said . “ I think the more we can move away from that imagery , the more we can be given the opportunity to define ourselves to the American public . ”
content_original: Norma Dunning still remembers the elderly passenger on a flight who asked her, “Where are you from?”
  
  “Edmonton,” Dunning replied, but the woman shook her head. “No, no, no. Where are you from?”
  
  Dunning understood the woman wanted to know her ethnicity. But when she answered, “Inuit,” she got a blank stare. Finally, Dunning said, “I’m Eskimo.”
  
  She dislikes the term, but caricatures of her ethnic group in popular culture, including food branding, make it the term non-Indigenous people know best. Eskimo Pie, which has been around since 1921, features a smiling boy in a fur-lined parka on its packaging. The Canadian slurpee brand Cold Sucks also includes a parka-clad Inuit boy.
  
  These depictions, Dunning asserts, lead strangers to believe that if Inuit individuals don’t have harpoons and eat raw meat, they’re inauthentic. “We can never get away from that image,” said Dunning, whose book, Eskimo Pie: A Poetics of Inuit Identity just debuted. “We have to think about how these renderings of Indigenous people have a subconscious effect on the public imagination.”
  
  Hopefully, that’s about to change. In a statement last week to the Guardian, a spokesperson for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream said: “We have been reviewing our Eskimo Pie business for some time and will be changing the brand name and marketing. We… recognize the term is derogatory.”
  
  A 1930s print ad for Aunt Jemima. Photograph: Reuters
  
  As support for Black Lives Matter spreads across the globe, attention has turned to how stereotypical images of people of color are an inherent facet of mainstream culture, right down to our breakfast options. Prompted by this moment of national reckoning, Quaker announced last week it would remove the image and name of Aunt Jemima from its products because the character originated from a stereotype. This cued the parent companies of Cream of Wheat and Uncle Ben’s to announce they are also re-evaluating their imagery.
  
  Not everyone is pleased. In response to Eskimo Pie’s imminent name change, Donald Trump Jr tweeted: “The bullshit never ends.” But for people from ethnic groups that receive little other representation, in media or otherwise, these food rebrands could help change public perception about them – and stop reinforcing centuries-old stereotypes.
  
  •••
  
  “It’s a part of the narrative that black people were happy as slaves and, then, later, as servants during the Jim Crow period,” David Pilgrim said.
  
  Founder and curator at the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia in Big Rapids, Michigan, Pilgrim educates visitors about artifacts that dehumanize people of color. Pilgrim, who is also vice president of diversity and inclusion at Ferris State University, says brands like Aunt Jemima not only stem from racial stereotypes but popularized them too. Aunt Jemima creator Charles Rutt used the name after seeing a minstrel show skit about a mammy called Jemima in the late 1800s; he proceeded to use real-life black women to portray the character. Such figures would later appear in films such as 1934’s Imitation of Life in which a black character gifts her pancake recipe to a white woman who becomes rich as a result. This storyline illustrates the insidiousness of the mammy – she doesn’t question her servitude or challenge the whites profiting from it.
  
  The names Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben trouble Pilgrim because they reflect how whites refused to call African Americans Mrs or Mr – titles they didn’t think black people deserved. But the name Rastus, the character on Cream of Wheat products, is even more offensive.
  
  “It is a racist slur,” he said. “We don’t hear it much any more, but when you look at old racist jokes that appeared in newspapers and magazines, black characters were often named Rastus and portrayed as being barely intelligent.”
  
  It’s hard to comprehend the longevity of these characters, given their racist origins. Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have both undergone makeovers over the years to make them more palatable. The former got a headband to replace her kerchief in 1968 and was restyled as a “young grandmother” in 1989, while the latter was rebranded as chairman of the board instead of a domestic servant in 2007. But Americus Reed II, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said that Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter protests have given Americans time to reflect on their values and connect the dehumanizing branding of people of color to systemic inequality.
  
  “In normal times, you don’t have the heightened consumer awareness that’s been triggered by Covid and George Floyd,” Reed said. Economic instability and state lockdowns have made Americans pickier shoppers. This trend lines up with the racial awakening the nation is now undergoing, with customers threatening to boycott brands accused of racial discrimination. “Making Aunt Jemima into a hip modern grandma could probably be tolerated ordinarily,” Reed said. But after America reshapes in the wake of civil unrest and a pandemic, “[Brands] basically have to change if they want consumers to come back to them.”
  
  Socially conscious consumers may be inspiring food companies to rebrand, but don’t expect sports teams to follow suit. The longevity of racist mascots parallels the longevity of racist food branding and indicates the historic dehumanization of black and indigenous peoples in North America is interlinked.
  
  “From our name, the Jim Crow museum, you wouldn’t know it, but we have hundreds of pieces which defame Native Americans, and there are lots of parallels,” Pilgrim said. “Any time we use racist portrayals of any group of people, it is harmful.”
  
  As Eskimo Pies are phased out, Dunning hopes that it will spark other changes, like Canadian football team the Edmonton Eskimos, for instance. In the US, calls for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Blackhawks, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves to rename themselves have long gone unheard. For Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, founder of the literary publication Natives in America, the Washington name is most offensive.
  
  “We don’t love the other terms either,” she said, “but that’s the most problematic, and I think the hope is that if that’s the first one to be removed, the other teams would also follow suit with their names and logos.”
  
  Washington owner Dan Snyder refuses to change the team name, despite new demands to do so and the removal of team founder George Preston Marshall’s statue from RFK Stadium last week. Red Shirt-Shaw, who is Oglala Lakota, said the name has caused generations of trauma.
  
  “I was meeting people who had never met a Native person, and their only conception of Native peoples is from this branding of sports teams or old western movies,” she said. “I think the more we can move away from that imagery, the more we can be given the opportunity to define ourselves to the American public.”