Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s Rebranding After Years of Criticism for Racist Imagery
The protests that have spread across the country over the past few weeks after
George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers have sparked a wave of self-reflection by many companies and brands, regarding what images they use to represent their products and how they communicate to the public. American pantries are about to get a makeover as several well-known brands undergo rebranding in an effort to eliminate racist imagery, including Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s.
The Aunt Jemima news broke Wednesday morning, with parent company Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, issuing a statement saying that the image of a smiling African-American woman would be removed from the packages of maple syrup, pancake mixes, and other prepackaged foods by the end of this year. A name change, yet to be announced, will happen in early 2021.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,”
Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a
statement. “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.”
www.nbcnews.com
um just messin witcha fella. LOL!!
