Aunt Jemima’s Great-Grandson Outraged Over Legacy Erasure: “It’s an Injustice to My Family”
The great-grandson of Aunt Jemima, Larnell Evans Sr., has expressed his frustration and anger over Quaker Foods’ decision to rebrand the iconic product, which he feels erases his great-grandmother’s heritage.
As previously reported, Quaker Foods has decided to change the Aunt Jemima brand following significant pressure to address concerns about racial representation. Evans, whose great-grandmother Anna Short Harrington was a key figure in the brand’s history, is speaking out against the move, calling it an injustice to his family.
“This is unfair to my family and me. My history includes this, sir,” Evans told Patch. “The racism they allege comes from the other side, from white people, as seen by their use of pictures from enslavement.”
Evans argues that the brand’s decision to rebrand reflects an attempt to erase the past of his great-grandmother, a Black woman who became a significant part of the brand’s identity. “This business made money off depictions of our slavery. Now they’ve decided to do this by erasing the past of my great-grandmother. It hurts.”
The Aunt Jemima brand originally featured Nancy Green, a former slave, who first portrayed Aunt Jemima at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. After Green’s passing in 1923, Anna Short Harrington, Evans’s grandmother, took over the role.
Harrington’s association with Quaker Foods began when she was discovered serving pancakes at the New York State Fair in 1935. Her likeness was used in advertisements, and she became widely recognized for her role as Aunt Jemima, working with the company for 20 years. Evans emphasizes that Harrington’s contributions were significant and should be acknowledged.
“It was after slavery, and this woman served all those people. Working as Aunt Jemima, she contributed greatly. How do you think I feel about sitting here talking about my family’s history, which they are trying to erase?” said Evans, a 66-year-old disabled U.S. Marine veteran.
Evans also highlights that Quaker Foods used Harrington’s pancake recipe and notes that his family had previously sought $3 billion in royalties from the company, but were unsuccessful.
Rather than completely removing the brand’s imagery, Evans believes Quaker Foods should recognize the financial benefits they gained from Green and Harrington’s likenesses and the historical context. “How many white businesses profited from this while giving us nothing? They cannot just erase it while we continue to suffer,” he said.
Quaker Foods has announced that by the end of the year, all products will no longer feature the Aunt Jemima branding or artwork.
