Days after parody website The Onion caused Aunt Jemima to trend on Twitter.com, the Quaker Oats Company has decided to retire the famous Black character who graced bottles of Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup for over a century.
On June 12, The Onion tweeted, “Quaker Oats Replaces Historically Racist Aunt Jemima Mascot With Black Female Lawyer Who Enjoys Pancakes Sometimes.”
Quaker Oats Replaces Historically Racist Aunt Jemima Mascot With Black Female Lawyer Who Enjoys Pancakes Sometimes https://t.co/qraAuGF4X3 pic.twitter.com/UwSc36d0N9
— The Onion (@TheOnion) June 12, 2020
Many were fooled by the tweet, including retired rapper-turned-activist Ice Cube, who tweeted: “BUSTED: There’s obviously no Black people on your board of directors! GET SOME QUICK.”
The bottles will be rebranded with a nw character and name in the wake of nationwide protests and unrest after white police killed Black people in Georgia, Minneapolis and Louisville.
Quaker Oats Company responded to pressure over the years by modernizing the Aunt Jemima character who originally wore a scarf on her head and a neckerchief. But Quaker Oats declined to retire the character until now.
“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,” said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. 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,” Kroepfl said in a press release.
The new syrup bottles and pancake mix packages will debut in stores in the fourth quarter of 2020, the company said. The name change will be announced soon.
