Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s to be rebranded in wake of unrest over racism

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s, two of America’s most recognized food brands and family favorites are expected to get makeovers in the wake of ongoing social unrest over racial injustice and police brutality, the companies associated with the brands announced Wednesday.

Quaker Oats, the parent company for Aunt Jemima, told NBC News in a statement that the controversial image of Aunt Jemima, which experts say “hearkens back to the antebellum plantation,” will be removed from its line of maple syrups, pancake mixes and other foods starting at the end of 2020. The product will also undergo a name change at a later date.

“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. "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.”

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Following that announcement, Mars Inc, the parent company for Uncle Ben’s rice, also said a change was coming to that brand as well, but the details of those changes were not yet finalized.

“As a global brand, we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices. As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the black community, and to the voices of our associates worldwide, we recognize that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do,” the company said in a statement.
 
“We don’t yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities. Racism has no place in society. We stand in solidarity with the black community, our associates and our partners in the fight for social justice. We know to make the systemic change needed, it’s going to take a collective effort from all of us — individuals, communities and organizations of all sizes around the world,” Mars Inc added.

The announcements about the brands triggered mixed reactions on social media with some decrying the changes.

“Progressives have no idea that they are literally white washing corporate branding. When I saw #AuntJemima I associated her smiling face with wholesome kindness and quality. Get back to me when they start going after the Vikings,” Chris Loesch wrote Twitter.

Daily Wire reporter Emily Zanotti, weighed in on the renaming, saying, "Guys, the name 'Aunt Jemima' is based on a minstrel song from the late 1800s. You will not die if they change it because it's 2020 and we don't really need racist imagery on our pancake syrup anymore."

“How does renaming a syrup brand make any progress toward ‘racial equality?’ America elected a Black President—TWICE! But somehow canceling Aunt Jemima is the secret to ending police brutality & ‘systemic racism’ Got it,” said Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA.

Yashar Ali of HuffPo countered Kirk’s comment in a retweet, noting, “Folks...I have some news that will shock you...Charlie is lying. Literally no one has said that rebranding Aunt Jemima is the secret to ending police brutality and systemic racism.”

Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton argued in a series of tweets Wednesday that the debate over recasting cultural figures in America is really about power.

“The people decrying the loss of things like Aunt Jemima syrup, Confederate monuments, and superheroes and pop culture figures being recast are more worried about perceived loss of cultural power than people's lives. And it's because they understand these things have actual power,” Sexton wrote. “While these critics like to say the Left's attempts to topple statues and create more diversity and representation as ‘insane’ or unnecessary, what they see is that these symbols ACTUALLY create and maintain power and can block certain people from having power.”