Aunt Jemima to Undergo Rebrand in Step to 'Make Progress Toward Racial Equality'

"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," said a spokesperson for Quaker Foods

The Aunt Jemima line of breakfast products will undergo a full rebrand to rectify its usage of racial stereotypes.

On Wednesday, PepsiCo's Quaker Oats announced that the label — seen on maple syrup bottles, pancake mix boxes and other items — will get a new name and image after 130 years of the Aunt Jemima iconography. The revamped name has not yet been announced, though the new packaging is expected to hit stores by the end of the year.

"We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a recent press. "While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough."

Kroepfl continued on to say that the company is looking to "make progress toward racial equality" and taking a "hard look at our portfolio of brands" in order to "ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations."

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Dating back to 1890, Aunt Jemima is based on a "storyteller, cook and missionary worker" named Nancy Green, according to the brand's official historical timeline. However, CNN Business reported that the brand is based on a song that was performed by slaves titled "Old Aunt Jemima."

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"We are starting by removing the image and changing the name. We will continue the conversation by gathering diverse perspectives from both our organization and the Black community to further evolve the brand and make it one everyone can be proud to have in their pantry," Kroepfl said in the press statement.

In 1989, the image of Aunt Jemima was updated to a "contemporary look," according to the company's timeline. The artwork added pearl earrings and a lace collar to her image.

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"We acknowledge the brand has not progressed enough to appropriately reflect the confidence, warmth and dignity that we would like it to stand for today," Kroepfl continued.

The Aunt Jemima brand also plans to donate $5 million over the next five years toward the black community in the hopes to "create meaningful, ongoing support and engagement."

To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero (joincampaignzero.org) which works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.
• ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities.
• National Cares Mentoring Movement (caresmentoring.org) provides social and academic support to help black youth succeed in college and beyond.