With news that Aunt Jemima abruptly chose to alter its own name in the midst of a centuries-in-the-making racial reckoning, many who might’ve been unaware were wondering why. Quaker Oats which bought Aunt Jemima Mills in 1926 made the announcement on Wednesday amid the backdrop of American unrest hoping to push racism out of US culture for good.
Pictured to the right is an 1899 “Catwalks” music cover poster mimicking what was then the public perception of what “Aunt Jemima” or better yet who Jemima may have been.
This photo has been shown for informational purposes only and doesn’t reflect the views of the editors or officials at this newspaper.
Originally and oddly named the Aunt Jemima Mills after a few run-of-the-mill sales to other companies — the company finally settled with that name sometime around 1890–1891. The name “Aunt Jemima” is actually the problem here because “Aunt Jemima” is actually the name for a racially-charged term once used said to be Mammie.
In the early 1900’s, Mammie was used to reference a black woman who worked for a white woman otherwise nursing their very real children.
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