Unexpectedly, a “Aunt Jemima” descendant came forward to voice her vehement opposition to the choice, claiming that it would only minimize the deep history and immense suffering that black people have had to endure.
Larnell Evans Sr. stated, “This is a grave injustice to not only my family but also to me.”. , a distinguished Marine Corps veteran. He claims that the business made money off of slavery for many years prior to taking ownership of eliminating its remnants.
He asserted that the white community was the source of the racism that the group was claiming to be fighting.
“This company profits from depicting the enslavement of our ancestors, and their solution is to obliterate the history of my magnificent great-grandmother, a strong black woman… “It hurts a lot. ”.
The cereal, which has a picture of a black woman who was once an enslaved individual named Nancy Green, has been discontinued, according to the company that created the brand, Quaker Oats.
Historical records refer to Green as a “storyteller, cook, and missionary worker” within the Quaker community.
Green first encountered the “Aunt Jemima” name when she accepted a job to serve pancakes at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Interestingly, Larnell Evans Sr.’s great-grandmother is Anna Short Harrington. She received a formal casting for Aunt Jemima in 1935. Evans noted that the woman had given Quaker Oats two decades of her life.
She made extensive trips across the United States and Canada while assuming the role of Aunt Jemima and cooking and serving pancakes to a great many people. ”.
In the aftermath of the dreary era of slavery, “this remarkable woman selflessly served all those people,” Evans proclaimed emphatically. She enthusiastically accepted her Aunt Jemima role. ”.
“Can you imagine the feelings rushing through my veins as a black man as I sit here telling my family’s story, which they are now trying to erase?”.
Evans complained about the arrangement, highlighting how the company had unfairly benefited from a racial stereotype and was now dismissing it.
He asked provocative questions like, “How many white people grew up watching Aunt Jemima grace their breakfast tables every morning?” and “How many white firms have amassed vast fortunes while leaving us nothing?”.
He questioned, “Are they just pretending to be ignorant of the past and trying to erase history?”. Will they pay us back for the erasure? What authority do they have?
