After 130 years, Aunt Jemima brand will change its name and remove logo from packaging

For 130 years the Aunt Jemima name and logo has been to sell a popular brand of pancake mix and pancake syrup, but Wednesday, Quaker Oats announced they would be changing the name.

Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”
Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, owns the breakfast food company acknowledged the brand’s racist origins after renewed backlash.The brand’s origin is based on a character from a minstrel show. More specifically, it was based off the song “Old Aunt Jemima.” The character, Aunt Jemima, was portrayed by a man in blackface as a “mammy.”

While Aunt Jemima’s logo has evolved over time to be “appropriate and respectful,” it has always been based on Nancy Green. Green was born into slavery. She was hired to be the face of the brand and traveled the country promoting the breakfast company.