For decades, families have begun throughout America with a well-known face smiling from their breakfast table.
But was the truth hidden behind this image? In 2020, Quaker Oats made a controversial decision to retire the brand “Aunt Jemima” and quoted fears of racial stereotypes.
While some applauded a step as a step towards progress, others considered it an attempt to erase history.
Quaker Oats caused quite a stir in 2020 when he announced that in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement, he would retire the brand “Aunt Jemima”.
Yet just one day after the announcement, the grandson of “Aunt Smith” protested against the decision and declared the faith of the family that this step would only have to erase black history and suffering.
“This is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of my history,” said Larnell Evans Sr., a veteran of the naval choir, according to the patch. He then also accused the corporation of the effort to erase slavery after the years he benefited from it.
“The racism he is talking about using pictures of slavery that comes from the other side-white people. This society benefits from pictures of our slavery. And their response is to erase my great-grandmother’s history. A black woman … it hurts.”
Quaker Oats confirmed that a brand whose logo contains a previously enslaved black woman named Nancy Green would be retired forever. According to Quaker reports, Green was described as a “narrator, cook and missionary”, but missed the fact that she was born into slavery.
Originally, Green was hired to serve pancakes at the World Fair in Chicago in 1893, the first time the brand “Aunt Jemima” was used. After her death, in 1923, Anna Short Harrington-Kterna Larnell Evans Sr. claims that she was his great-grandmother-she retired to the role in 1935 after the representative of Quaker Oats saw how he served the Pirots at the New York State Fair and decided to make her aunt Jemima.
Evans said: “She worked for Quaker Oats for 20 years. She traveled all the way around the United States and Canada to make pancakes for them Aunt Jemima.
“This woman served all those people and it was after slavery. She worked like her aunt Jemima. That was her job. … How do you think I feel like a black man sitting here, who tells you about my family history?”
Now that Quaker Oats is trying to retire the brand, Evans is unfortunate that the corporations can benefit from a racial stereotype before it simply moved when it became convenient.
“How many white people have been brought up and looked at the characters like Aunt Jemima at breakfast every morning? How many white corporations did all profits and a dime?” Evans said.
“Just erases history as if it didn’t? … don’t get us anything? What gives them the right?”
The decision lit an intense debate and some claimed that the retirement of the brand is necessary to detach from racial stereotypes, while others feel that they ignore the legacy of women who have portrayed Aunt Jemima. Regardless of where it stands, it raises controversy and an important question: should companies consider it responsible for profit from historical racial images, even if they later decided to distance themselves from him?
Quaker Oats Sparks Controversia by retiring the brand “Aunt Jemima”, the grandson calls the injustice.
In 2020, Quaker Oats set fire to a sharp debate when he announced plans for the long-term brand “Aunt Jemima” in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Shortly after the decision was published, Larnell Evans Sr., the great-grandson of a woman who portrayed “Aunt Jemima”, came up against him. Evans, the veteran of the naval choir, claimed that this step would delete an important part of black history, rather than solving systemic racism.
“It is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of our history,” Evans Patch said. He also accused Quaker Oats of an attempt to erase the inheritance of slavery after profiting for decades.
“The racism that speaks of the pictures of slavery-which comes from the other side, from white people. This society earned money from the paintings of our past, and now their solution is to clear the history of my great-grandmother, a black woman’s heritage. It hurts,” he said.
Quaker Oats confirmed that a brand that contained a picture of a previously enslaved black woman named Nancy Green would be permanently interrupted. The news suggests that Quaker described Green as “narrators, chefs and missionaries”, but forgot that she was born into slavery.
Green was first hired to serve Pancakes at the 1893 Chicago World Fair, which meant the debut of “Aunt Jemima”. After she died in 1923, Anna Short Harrington-Whom Evans claims that she was his great-grandmother in 1935 looked at the role. Representative Quaker Oats reportedly discovered her serving pancakes at the New York State Fair and chose it as another face of the brand.
Evans stressed that Harrington had devoted two decades of life to promoting the brand and traveled around the US and Canada as Aunt Jemima.
“She has worked for Quaker Oats for 20 years and served as Aunt Jemima. That was her job,” Evans said. “She did it after the slavery ended. How do you think I feel like a black man watching erase my family’s history?”
Evans is particularly upset that Quaker Oats has benefited from the racial stereotype for decades, just to destroy it when he became controversial.
“How many white people grew up and saw aunt on their breakfast table every morning? How many white corporations owned millions that we got nothing?” he asked. “He now thinks they can only erase history as if it never happened? And in return, they won’t give us anything? What is he right?”
The debate surrounding the decision of Quaker Oats continues to divide opinions. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments and spread the discussion by sharing this article on Facebook.
Conclusion
The departure of the “Aunt Jemima” brand caused a significant debate, and some considered it a necessary step to remove racial stereotypes, while others, such as Larnell Evans Slovakia, consider this to be erased by black history.
His frustration emphasizes a major interview about social responsibility, historical representation,n and the impact of systemic racism. While Quaker Oats can believe that leaving the brand is moving in the right direction, the discussion of IT proves that dthe iscussion about race, history, and recognition is far from over.