Aunt Jemima ads

A non-literary body of work (BOW)

Curated by Brad Philpot and Courtney Pereira
Appeared in
Life Magazine
1938
Dear Mother--

You’re always doing small things for us. And we don’t thank you half
enough-- But gee, Mom, it’s much too long since you’ve made us any
Aunt Jemima pancakes-- They’re easy to make and we’ll thank you with
a big hug and kiss--

Your pancake hungry family

PANCAKE DAY IS HAPPY DAYS

‘Make a grand and glorious hit wif yo’

family too. Give ‘em an Aunt Jemima treat
tomorrow! Dem tender, ‘licious pancakes
of mine is light as a feather and dey
digeste easy too. Dey’s even easier to
make an’ costs less dan de ordinary
cookbook kind. An’ dey’s real nourishin’
fo’ de young folks, an’ busy men folks,
too.”

AUNT JEMIMA SAYS: Try my tasty,

luscious pancakes an’ my temptin’, tangy
buckwheats turn-about fo’ a happy flavor
change. Get a package of each from yo’
grocer’man right away.
Originally Issued
1910-12-01.

"I'se in town honey!"

The New York Public
Library Digital
Collections.
Related sources
From outside the
‘body of work’

Saxx, Martin, "Jemima's

wedding day:: cake walk "
(1899). African American
Sheet Music.
Hear the song
● This TikTok video, posted by Kirby
Lauryen in June of 2020, went viral.
● The impact of this video was so
pervasive that Aunt Jemima’s parent
company, Quaker Foods North
America, decided to ‘rebrand’ their
famous syrup and pancake mix.
● Who is the target audience of this
video? What is the aim of this video?
Explore the ways in which this video
utilizes image, sound and monologue to
persuade the target audience.
Alumna Kirby's Viral Video Helped Bring
Down Aunt Jemima Brand
By Kimberly Ashton for Berklee Now
24 June, 2020

In the wake of recent protests, there’s been a call to eradicate symbols of slavery, from the town square to the
pantry. As statues of Confederate soldiers toppled around the country, another figure went down with them: Aunt
Jemima, the face of Quaker Oats’ pancake mix and line of syrups.

The company announced June 17—two days after a viral TikTok video by Berklee alumna Kirby Lauryen ’09
criticized the racist origins of Aunt Jemima—that it was retiring the brand. Aunt Jemima, a familiar character on
grocery shelves for the past 131 years, is based on the racial stereotype of a “mammy,” a black woman who worked
for white families, including as a slave.

Read full article here

Quaker is dropping the Aunt Jemima
image and name after recognizing they
are ‘based on a racial stereotype’

By Emma Heil for the Washington Post

17 June, 2020

In 1966, the Aunt Jemima brand launched a new syrup to go along with its popular pancake mix. The slogan,
according to the company’s timeline, was “Aunt Jemima, what took you so long?”

That’s the question many people are asking after the iconic brand announced on Wednesday that it is changing
its name and retiring its mascot, a black woman whose character was originally based on the stereotype of the
enslaved “mammy” who raised her master’s white children.

Read full article here