Pancake flap: ‘Aunt Jemima’ heirs seek dough

Painful relic of slavery

No matter the outcome of the suit, the Aunt Jemima brand has a mixed past.

Quaker Oats’ website says it stands for “warmth, nourishment and trust — qualities you’ll find in loving moms from diverse backgrounds who care for and want the very best for their families.”

But the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University in Michigan includes her image in a traveling “Hateful Things” exhibit alongside Uncle Ben’s Rice and other period advertisements, toys and cartoons, mainly from the Civil War through segregation.

Roberts, the Florida State expert, said Aunt Jemima’s image is “reassuring” and “kindly,” but it still is a racist brand.

“Just because the Civil War was more than 100 years ago, Jim Crow doesn’t go away,” she said.

Article Appeared @http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2014/10/06/aunt-jemima-lawsuit/16799923/

 

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