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It has been a staple of American breakfast tables for over a century, but it has long been the subject of criticism that its name and likeness are rooted in racist images.
Now Aunt Jemima has a new name: the Pearl Milling Company.
In an announcement made Tuesday by PepsiCo, which owns Aunt Jemima’s parent company, Quaker Oats, the pancake mix and syrup line officially began rebranding and came close to dropping its name altogether. 131 years old.
The new name comes from the St. Joseph, Missouri, flour mill, which launched the self-rising pancake mix that has come to be known as Aunt Jemima, according to PepsiCo, which said the renowned products would arrive in stores. stores in June.
Change has been underway since last June, after the murder of George Floyd catalyzed widespread protests against racial injustice and a nationwide consideration of Old South symbols and their meanings. Several large food companies have come under fire for using racial stereotypes, including Quaker Oats, which said it would drop the Aunt Jemima name, redesign its packaging and pledge $ 5 million to support the black community.
The company on Tuesday unveiled a redesigned website for its Aunt Jemima product line, saying “it was the start of a new day.”
“Last June, PepsiCo and The Quaker Oats Company made a commitment to change Aunt Jemima’s name and image, recognizing that they do not reflect our core values,” the company said on the website.
Products bearing Aunt Jemima’s name will continue to be available until June, but without the face image of Aunt Jemima’s character, according to PepsiCo, which said in a press release that the company had requested comment on the new name.
“Throughout the efforts that led to the creation of the new name of Pearl Milling Company, Quaker worked with consumers, employees, external culture and industry experts and various agency partners to garner broad perspectives. and ensure that the new brand is developed in a spirit of inclusiveness. Said PepsiCo.
Ja’Mal Green, civil rights activist and former Chicago mayoral candidate, said on twitter Tuesday that the change was long overdue.
“130 years ago, two white men created ‘Aunt Jemima’ syrup,” Green said. “Took an archetypal black slave and made him face their syrup for profit.” Today, it ends. Aunt Jemima is finally replaced. These white men have made billions taking possession of the dark and, hopefully, rotting in hell.
On Aunt Jemima’s website, photos of the pancake mix and the new syrup packaging were revealed on Tuesday. They feature a render of a mill with a water wheel and still use the same red, white, and yellow color scheme. The pancake mix tin and syrup bottle included a label that said, “New name, same great taste, Aunt Jemima.”
In addition to the rebranding, the brand new Pearl Milling Company also said on Tuesday that it was pledging $ 1 million to empower and uplift black girls and women. The money is in addition to a $ 400 million investment over five years to support black businesses and communities and increase black representation at PepsiCo, the company said.
Noliwe Rooks, author and professor at Cornell University whose work explores race and gender, said in an email Tuesday evening that the company may take further action.
“I think a good use of these funds might be to support an advertising agency run by black women that they could hire to consult with them in the future to make sure they have good advice on their business. branding and advertising plans, ”Dr. Rooks said. $ 1 million.
The character of Aunt Jemima has its roots in a 19th century minstrel song that expressed nostalgia for the southern war. Quaker Oats replaced the head scarf on Aunt Jemima’s character with a plaid headband in 1968 and added pearl earrings and a lace collar in 1989.
Last September, Mars Food announced that it was changing the name of its Uncle Ben’s rice products to Ben’s Original and that it would also remove the image of a smiling older black man from the box.
The parent company of Cream of Wheat also said last September that the black chef would no longer appear on its packaging.
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