Aunt Jemima is getting a full-blown rebrand.
Aunt Jemima syrup is no more — ’cause the parent company is retiring the image and name after more than a century, while publicly copping to the fact she’s a giant stereotype.
The Quaker Oats Company made the announcement Tuesday, saying they were doing away with Auntie. The company explains, « As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations. »
Aunt Jemima’s been a thing for more than 130 years now, and its origins are deeply racist. The character is based on an 1800s « mammy » — a black servant in a white household.
