A great-grandson of “Aunt Jemima” protested the choice, nevertheless, saying that the family feared it would just serve to whitewash black history and suffering just one day after the decision was made public.

“My family and I are the victims of this injustice.” Larnell Evans Sr., a veteran of the Marine Corps, remarked, “This is a part of my history.” He claimed that after making money from slavery for many years, the company was given the task of striving to abolish it.

When referencing racism, they use imagery of enslavement that comes from the white side of the spectrum. These companies profit from images of our slavery. They also decided to erase the history of my great-grandmother. a woman of color It hurts.

The brand, whose logo features a black woman named Nancy Green who was formerly enslaved, will be retired indefinitely, according to Quaker Oats. Despite being born into slavery, Green was described by Quakers as a “storyteller, cook, and missionary worker,” according to archives.

When Green was contracted to serve pancakes at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, she used the “Aunt Jemima” trade name for the first time. After Anna Short Harrington passed away in 1923, a Quaker Oats representative gave her the name “Aunt Jemima” because she had seen her serve pancakes at the New York State Fair. His great-grandmother, according to Larnell Evans Sr., was Anna Short Harrington. In 1935, she was chosen for the part.

Evans stated that the woman had spent 20 years working for Quaker Oats. As Aunt Jemima, she traveled the United States and Canada making pancakes for people.

After enslavement, this woman serviced all of those individuals. She worked for someone as Aunt Jemima. She was in charge of that. As a black man sitting here telling you about my family’s history that they’re trying to obliterate, how do you think I feel?

Because Quaker Oats plans to remove the brand, Evans is upset that the company was able to capitalize on a racial stereotype before moving on quickly when it was opportune.

How many white individuals grew up watching Aunt Jemima every morning over breakfast? How many white businesses profited hugely while providing us with nothing? said Evans.

“Are they just going to erase history and pretend it never happened?” Will they provide us with nothing? What grants them the power?