Aunt Jemima To Change Name and Logo

There's been a lot of talk recently based around racial equality and racism. Well, one national brand is making some big changes in the name of progress. In an article published this morning by NBC News, Quaker Foods has announced they are doing a major overhaul to the Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix - including a new name and brand 'ambassador'. The 130-year old brand has used a black woman named Aunt Jemima to sell the brand since its inception.

Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, says that they are making the changes "to make progress towards racial equality". Kristin Kroepfl, VP and Chief Marketing officer for Quaker Foods North America, says they are taking a long look at their entire portfolio of brands to "ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations".

At this time, there is no indication on what the new name or direction of the brand will be. Recently, Quaker came under fire from the general public for still using the Aunt Jemima branding. Critics of the company claimed that the image is a black stereotype that promoted the inferiority of black Americans.

Over recent years, Quaker has made numerous changes to the Aunt Jemima brand to try and reduce those racial stereotypes however, in the end, they felt the entire brand needed to be scrapped and changed.

In addition to the brand overhaul, Quaker announced that it will donate at least 5 million dollars over the next five years to help out the black community in America.