The great-grandson of “Aunt Jemima” is upset that they’re getting rid of her image and legacy. He says it’s unfair to his family.

Quaker Oats made a big announcement in 2020 that they were getting rid of the “Aunt Jemima” brand because of the Black Lives Matter movement.

But just a day after that, a great-grandson of “Aunt Jemima” spoke out against the decision. He said his family believes it’s wrong and would erase black history and the suffering they went through.

“It’s not fair to me and my family. This is a part of my history,” said Larnell Evans Sr., who is a Marine Corps veteran. He also accused the company of trying to erase the history of slavery after making money from it for so long.

“They’re talking about racism, but the images they’re using come from slavery, from white people. This company makes money from images of our slavery. And their solution is to erase my great-grandmother’s history. She was a black woman. It’s painful.”

Quaker Oats confirmed they’re getting rid of the brand that features a black woman named Nancy Green, who used to be enslaved. They described Green as a “storyteller, cook, and missionary worker” but didn’t mention she was born into slavery.

Nancy Green started serving pancakes at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, which was when they first used the “Aunt Jemima” brand name. After she died in 1923, Anna Short Harrington, who Larnell Evans Sr. says was his great-grandmother, took over the role in 1935. Quaker Oats saw her serving pancakes at the New York State Fair and decided to make her the new “Aunt Jemima.”

Evans said, “She worked for Quaker Oats for 20 years. She traveled all over the United States and Canada making pancakes as Aunt Jemima for them.

“This woman served all those people, and it was after slavery. She worked as Aunt Jemima. That was her job. How do you think I feel as a black man sitting here telling you about my family history they’re trying to erase?”

Now that Quaker Oats is getting rid of the brand, Evans is upset that the company made money from a racial stereotype and is now just moving on when it’s convenient for them.

 

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