After acknowledging the controversy that surrounds the Aunt Jemima brand; parent company Quaker Oaks, a subsidiary of Pepsi Co. Decided to start a phased removal process of the image by the end of the year.
The Pepsi brand also pledge over 400 million dollars to uplift the black community, along with oversight to purge their portfolio of brands that don't align with their views and core values.
"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," - said the company in a statement to CNN business.
The company's origin and logo are said to have been started in 1890, and based off a song from a minstrel show performer and were sung by slaves. The logo is based on Nancy Green, "A missionary worker, storyteller, and cook". Nancy was born into slavery which is the source of the controversy-- not only was the branded song done by slaves but the logo was based on a woman born into slavery.
In light of the current protests that are heating up with no end in sight, multiple companies are faced with the issue of brand racism. Many are now rebranding their products to align with the current revolution.
Along with Aunt Jemima, we can see brands like, Uncle Ben joining the conversation. In a statement address the current issues they had this to say,
"now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben's brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do," adding that "we don't yet know what the exact changes and timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities."
Mrs. Butterworth's parent company, Conagra also issued a statement pledging to complete a brand review to make sure there are no discrepancies with their current branding.
"we can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values.
According to Richardson, the Aunt Jemima Logo is based in pure racism; citing that the figure takes its likeness in a "'mammy,' a devoted and submissive servant who eagerly nurtured the children of her white master and mistress while neglecting her own."
The Aunt Jemima brand pledges 5 million dollars over the next 5 years to create ongoing support and engagement into the black community.
