Aunt Jemima maker phasing out brand name and image

Following weeks of protests and conversation after the police-involved death of George Floyd, the maker of Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup say it’s time to change the name of the brand and remove the depiction of a Black woman that has been on the products for decades.
The Quaker Oats Company has announced that packaging changes without the Aunt Jemima image will begin to appear throughout the end of this year. The name change will be announced later.
“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,” said Kristin Kroepfl, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Quaker Foods North America. “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.”
During the 130 years it has been in existence, the Aunt Jemima image has changed from a cartoonish caricature of a smiling African American woman wearing a polka dot dress, and a scarf wrapped around her head.
The company has since discarded the polka dot dress and scarf, but packages still show a drawing of a broadly smiling black woman.
“We acknowledge the brand has not progressed enough to appropriately reflect the confidence, warmth and dignity that we would like it to stand for today,” said Kroepfl. “We are starting by removing the image and changing the name. We will continue the conversation by gathering diverse perspectives from both our organization and the Black community to further evolve the brand and make it one everyone can be proud to have in their pantry.”
The company announced that the Aunt Jemima brand will donate a minimum of $5 million over the next five years to create engagement and support the Black community.
Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats, has announced more than $400 million over five years to fund initiatives “to lift up Black communities and increase Black representation” at PepsiCo.