Apr 18

Apr 18 Aunt Jemima: Don't believe everything you see on TikTok

A video on the social media platform TikTok was shared with me where a content creator criticized PepsiCo for altering the iconic Aunt Jemima logo, one of the longest-running logos and trademarks in the history of American advertising.

The video began by lamenting, "A great woman, erased from history by idiots," and proceeded to recount the story of Nancy Green. "Now, future generations will not even know this beautiful woman existed. What a shame."

The video attempts to depict PepsiCo as deliberately erasing an integral piece of African American history with its 'woke' new advertising campaign. PepsiCo owns the Pearl Milling Company, formerly Aunt Jemima.

*Advertisement for Aunt Jemima. Photo: California African American History website.*

The original logo started as a vaudeville caricature, then evolved into a cartoon, and eventually featured 11 performers who represented the Aunt Jemima logo, beginning with Nancy Green. Over the years, the logo was updated to align with contemporary standards and imagery.

"She was a true American success story," the video claimed of Nancy Green. "She was born a slave in 1834 in Montgomery County, Kentucky, and became a wealthy superstar in the advertising world as its first living trademark."

That would have been a great story if it were true. Nancy Green died in 1923 and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. Green represented Aunt Jemima from 1893 until Agnes Moody assumed the role in 1900 after Green declined to travel to the Paris exhibition. There were nine other women who played the part of Aunt Jemima after Moody, including Lillian Richard who played the role for 23 years.

While it's assumed that Green was compensated for her appearances, she didn't seem to amass wealth in her lifetime, working as a housekeeper and hired help until her death at 76.

If the video creator had conducted further research, they would have discovered that The Pearl Milling Company initially claimed Agnes Moody was the first Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima is based on the “mammy” archetype; a rotund, grandmotherly submissive servant. In the late 1800s, formerly enslaved people were denied honorifics such as “Mr. and Mrs.” but were often called aunts and uncles, such as “Uncle Tom” and “Aunt Jemima”.

Pearl Milling Company didn't invent the Aunt Jemima image; they merely trademarked it. In the Library of Congress, there's an image depicting a caricature of an older, smiling black woman named “Miss Jim-Ima-Crow,” with a framed picture of James Crow behind it. In 1864, a character named Aunt Jemima appeared on stage played by performers in blackface.

The TikTok content creator based their video on half of the story. Nancy Green was indeed the first living trademark for Aunt Jemima. Their narrative that the change was an attempt to rewrite or conceal history is unfounded. The term “Aunt Jemima” has been used as the female version of “Uncle Tom.” Condoleezza Rice was famously called Aunt Jemima by a radio host. The host also referred to Clarence Thomas as an “Uncle Tom.” A mayor of a city in Virginia was censured because he referred to Kamala Harris as “Aunt Jemima” when she was selected as President Joe Biden’s running mate.

It is ironic that the content creator used TikTok to air their complaint about PepsiCo renaming the company and changing the logo. According to NY Times, “Quaker Oats, which has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001, announced its decision on Aunt Jemima days after a TikTok video describing the brand’s history was shared widely on social media. In retiring the name and character, the company acknowledged that Aunt Jemima’s origins were ‘based on a racial stereotype.’”

The same social media platform that was used to uncover history in one video, is being used to erase history to suit a non-racist narrative that simply doesn’t exist.

The original video shared a racist history of a long standing brand and uncovered the story of Nancy Green. It was because of the TikTok video that in 2020, Green’s unmarked grave was finally given a headstone and history was updated with her name.

TikTok, along with other social media platforms, is reshaping historical narratives by presenting diverse perspectives, yet concurrently disseminating misinformation that is often accepted as truth.

Aunt Jemima logos over the years. Photo: https://1000logos.net/aunt-jemima-logo/

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