Quaker Oats has announced it will rename its brand Aunt Jemima (a line of syrups and foods), acknowledging it was based on a racial stereotype.
For over 130 years, Aunt Jemima’s logo has featured a black woman named after a character from minstrel shows in the 1800s that mocked African-Americans.
The company said past branding updates to address these issues were “not enough”.
Criticism against the brand has renewed amid the national debate over racism sparked by George Floyd’s death.
Kristin Kroepfl, Quaker Foods North America’s chief marketing officer, said the company is working “to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives”.
She said: “We also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations.
“We are starting by removing the image and changing the name.”
George Floyd Funeral: Family and Friends Pay Their Last Respects
George Floyd Death Declared A Homicide in Official Post-Mortem Examination
Quaker has not offered further details on the coming changes, which were first reported by NBC News.
In addition, Aunt Jemima is to donate at least $5 million over the next five years to support the African American community, according to parent company PepsiCo.
The branding on Aunt Jemima’s syrups, mixes and other food products features an image of a black woman that has often been linked to stereotypes around slavery.
In a 2015 opinion piece for the New York Times, Cornell University African-American literature professor Riché Richardson described Aunt Jemima as “an outgrowth of Old South plantation nostalgia and romance”.
He said the brand perpetuated the idea of a “mammy” character – a submissive black woman who nurtured her white master’s children.
Founded in 1889, the Aunt Jemima logo was based on storyteller, cook and missionary Nancy Green, Quaker’s site says.
According to the African American Registry non-profit database, Nancy Green was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1834.
Aunt Jemima joins a number of companies offering change in light of the global protests and renewed debate over racism in America, sparked by the recent police killings of George Floyd and other African Americans.
