A Few Links to Dispel Conservative Myths Part Seventeen: "Cancel Culture" and Aunt Jemima

Mistakes can be corrected. The City of New Orleans should never have built a memorial to Robert E. Lee, a man who was no different from the other slave-owning white supremacists who plunged America into civil war. There's no mystery as to why the US had so many statues and memorials to the Confederacy. They were created because men still in sympathy with the Lost Cause wanted them. 

Lee's memorial in New Orleans is gone now. But the question is: Why was Lee's statue still standing in New Orleans in 2015? Certainly part of the reason is inertia. Once a statue is put up, it tends to stay up, especially if it's added to the National Register of Historic Places. But Confederate memorials also endure because the Civil War is the one conflict where history was often written by the losers. Defenders of the Lost Cause love to claim that the Civil War was fought for reasons other than slavery, that slaves in the south were loyal to their masters and defended the Confederacy, that Robert E. Lee was a paragon of virtue. None of these things are true. So it's ironic then that those who decry the removal of Confederate statues do so because the removals "erase history". Because the "history" they are talking about never existed.

I was thinking about this when I saw a recent discussion of the retirement of the Aunt Jemima brand by Quaker Oats/Pepsi Co. Here is what one person had to say on social media:

"A great woman erased from history due to ignorance. The branding of the syrup was a tribute to this woman’s gifts and talents. Now future generations will not even know this beautiful woman existed. What a shame. The world knew her as “Aunt Jemima”, but her given name was Nancy Green and she was a true American success story. She was born a slave in 1834 Montgomery County, KY. and became a wealthy superstar in the advertising world, as its first living trademark. Green was 56-yrs old when she was selected as spokesperson for a new ready-mixed, self-rising pancake flour and made her debut in 1893 at a fair and exposition in Chicago. She demonstrated the pancake mix and served thousands of pancakes, and became an immediate star. She was a good storyteller, her personality was warm and appealing, and her showmanship was exceptional. Her exhibition booth drew so many people that special security personnel were assigned to keep the crowds moving. Nancy Green was signed to a lifetime contract, traveled on promotional tours all over the country, and was extremely well paid. Her financial freedom and stature as a national spokesperson enabled her to become a leading advocate against poverty and in favor of equal rights for all Americans. She maintained her job until her death in 1923, at age 89. This was a remarkable woman, and sadly she has been ERASED by politics. I wanted you to know and remind you in this cancel culture time period."

Now let's look at what actually happened:

1889: Chris L. Rutt,and Charles G. Underwood, of the Pearl Milling Company perfect the first ready-mix pancake. That same year, Rutt sees a team of blackface minstrel comedians known as Baker and Farrell perform to a tune called "Aunt Jemima". Pearl Milling is renamed the Aunt Jemima Manufacturing Company.

1890: R.T. Davis of the Davis Milling Company purchases the Aunt Jemima company.

1893: Nancy Green, a black cook, begins performing as the Aunt Jemima character at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. She also models for the image of the character used in promotions and packaging of the pancake mix. The company also hires at least one other woman to perform the character.

1910: Although Nancy Green still makes paid appearances as Aunt Jemima, at age 76 she is still working as a residential housekeeper according to the census. Needless to say, she is not wealthy. She was well-known in Chicago as an advocate against poverty and in favor of equal rights.

1917: The company makes the first of what will be many updates to the image of the Aunt Jemima character on the packaging.

1923: Following Nancy's death, other actresses begin portraying Aunt Jemima.

To summarize, retiring a racist caricature has done no harm to the memory of Nancy Green, because the Aunt Jemima brand wasn't representing her in any way, shape or form. And sadly, Green never became wealthy from her role as a spokeswoman. Recently, Bronzeville Historical Society President Sherry Williams spearheaded a successful effort to to place a headstone on Green's unmarked grave. Williams has said she wishes Quaker Oats would invest more money into preserving the legacy of women like Green and Black women caretakers.

 

 

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