The family of a Texas woman who once portrayed Aunt Jemima has called on the brand to reconsider its recent move to scrap the portrait from its branding.
This comes after a slew of anti-racism protests swept the United States and other major cities across the globe, following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black man, was arrested by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25, for reportedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a store. While being detained, ex-cop Derek Chauvin - a 19-year veteran of the force - knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Quaker Oats announced last week that the Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix will be getting a new name and image, after they acknowledged that "Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype."
The brand, which has been in production for 130 years, features a black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a minstrel character.
"We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods - which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo - said in a press release, per NBC News.
"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."
Vera Harris has now said that her family takes pride in the fact that Quaker Oats scouted her second cousin, Lillian Richard, to become a brand representative in 1925, per KLTV.
"She was considered a hero in [her hometown of] Hawkins, and we are proud of that. We do not want that history erased," Harris said.
Harris explained that Richard worked for the company for 23 years, and traveled the country as Aunt Jemima to serve pancakes until she suffered a stroke.
"She made an honest living out of it for a number of years. She toured around Texas,” Harris continued, detailing that there "wasn’t a lot of jobs, especially for black women back in that time."
"We want the world to know that our cousin Lillian was one of the Aunt Jemimas and she made an honest living. We would ask that you reconsider just wiping all that away.
"I wish we would take a breath and not just get rid of everything, because good or bad, it is our history. Removing that wipes away a part of me — a part of each of us."
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