It has been a staple of American breakfast tables for more than a century, but it has long faced criticism that its name and likeness have its roots in racist images.
Now, Aunt Jemima has a new name: Pearl Milling Company.
In an announcement on Tuesday by PepsiCo, owner of Quaker Oats, the parent company of Tia Jemima, the pancake and syrup mix line formally began to reshape itself and took a step closer to definitively abandoning its 131-year-old name.
The new name comes from the grinding company in St. Joseph, Missouri, which was a pioneer in mixing auto-growing pancakes that became known as Aunt Jemima, according to PepsiCo, who said the branded products would hit stores in June.
The change has been underway since last June, after the assassination of George Floyd catalyzed widespread protests against racial injustice and a national recognition of Old South symbols and their significance. Several large food companies have been criticized for using racial stereotypes, including Quaker Oats, who said he would abandon the name Tia Jemima, redesigned its packaging and pledged $ 5 million to support the black community.
The company launched a redesigned website for its Tia Jemima product line on Tuesday, saying “it was the start of a new day”.
“Last June, PepsiCo and The Quaker Oats Company committed to changing the name and image of Aunt Jemima, recognizing that they do not reflect our core values,” said the company on the website.
Products with the name Tia Jemima will continue to be available until June, but without the photo of the face of the character Tia Jemima, according to PepsiCo, who said in a press release that the company sought information about the new name.
“Throughout the effort that led to the new name of the Pearl Milling Company, Quaker worked with consumers, employees, external culture and subject matter experts and several agency partners to gather broad perspectives and ensure that the new brand was developed with inclusion in mind, ”PepsiCo said.
Ja’Mal Green, a civil rights defender and a former mayoral candidate in Chicago, said on Twitter on Tuesday that the change was delayed.
“130 years ago, two white men created the ‘Tia Jemima’ syrup,” said Green. “He took an archetype of black slave and made her the face of his syrup for profit. Today, it ends. Aunt Jemima is finally being replaced. These white men made billions by appropriating the darkness and, hopefully, rotting in hell. “
On the website of Aunt Jemima, photos of the pancake mix and the new syrup packaging were revealed on Tuesday. They feature a representation of a mill with a water wheel and still use the same red, white and yellow color scheme. Both the pancake mix box and the syrup bottle included a label that said, “New name, really great flavor, Aunt Jemima.”
In addition to the brand change, the newly created Pearl Milling Company also said on Tuesday that it was making a $ 1 million commitment to empower and elevate black girls and women. The money is in addition to a $ 400 million five-year investment to support black businesses and communities and increase black representation at PepsiCo, the company said.
Noliwe Rooks, author and professor at Cornell University, whose work explores race and gender, said in an email late on Tuesday that there were additional steps the company could take.
“I think a good use of these funds could be to support an advertising agency led by black women that they could hire to consult with them in the future and ensure that they receive good advice on their brand and advertising plans,” said Rooks on $ 1 million.
Aunt Jemima’s character is rooted in a 19th-century minstrel song that expressed nostalgia for the south before the war. Quaker Oats replaced the head scarf of the character Tia Jemima with a plaid sash in 1968 and added pearl earrings and a lace collar in 1989.
Last September, Mars Food announced that it was changing the name of its Uncle Ben’s rice products to Ben’s Original and that it would also remove the image of an older black man smiling from the box.
The controller of Cream of Wheat also said last September that Chef Black would no longer appear in its packaging.