The grandson of the real “Aunt Jemima” Anna Short Harrington is speaking out about Quaker Oats Company’s plan to “erase” his grandmother from the brand.
“This is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of my history, sir,” Larnell Evans Sr. told Patch.com.
“The racism they talk about, using images from slavery, that comes from the other side — white people. This company profits off images of our slavery. And their answer is to erase my great-grandmother’s history. A black female… It hurts.”
Evans said his grandmother took the place of the original “Aunt Jemima” character, enslaved woman Nancy Green who debuted the first “Aunt Jemima” at the Chicago’s World Fair in 1893.
Harrington replaced Green when she died in 1923.
The erasure of Black characters from brand packaging continues. The B&G Foods company said Wednesday it will “review” its Cream of Wheat packaging to ensure the brand did not contribute to “systemic racism.”
The Cream of Wheat packaging features a logo of a Black chef. B&G foods made the announcement on Wednesday.
“B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE:BGS) today announced that we are initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging. We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism. B&G Foods unequivocally stands against prejudice and injustice of any kind.”
The decision follows on the heels of Quaker Oats company’s plan to retire Aunt Jemima, and Mars, Inc said it will retire the Black character on Uncle Ben’s rice packaging.
Also on Wednesday, Conagra Brands food company said Mrs. Butterworth’s pancake syrup packaging is “under review”.
“We understand that our actions help play an important role in eliminating racial bias and as a result, we have begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s,” said Communications Manager Dan Skinner.
