The great-grandson of the original Aunt Jemima has expressed his anger over the rebranding of the iconic brand, claiming that cancel culture is erasing his family’s heritage. This comes after Quaker Foods announced it would remove the Aunt Jemima brand in response to pressure over its racial stereotypes.
Larnell Evans Sr., the great-grandson of Anna Short Harrington, who portrayed Aunt Jemima after Nancy Green, voiced his frustration in an interview with Patch. “This is unfair to my family and me. My history is tied to this,” Evans said. He argued that the accusations of racism came from white people who used imagery from slavery, and that the company profited from these depictions while erasing his great-grandmother’s legacy.
Nancy Green, a former slave, first portrayed Aunt Jemima in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair, serving pancakes while dressed in an apron and headscarf. After her passing in 1923, Anna Short Harrington, Evans’ grandmother, took over the role.
Harrington, a chef at Syracuse University, was discovered by a Quaker Foods representative at the 1935 New York State Fair while making her famous pancakes. She was hired by Quaker Foods, and her image was used in advertisements and on packaging. For two decades, Harrington traveled across the U.S. and Canada as Aunt Jemima, serving pancakes and helping make the character a household name.
Evans, a 66-year-old disabled U.S. Marine veteran, pointed out that Harrington’s pancake recipe was also used by Quaker Foods. In 2014, Harrington’s descendants unsuccessfully sued the company for $3 billion in unpaid royalties.
Evans believes Quaker Foods should acknowledge the role that Green and Harrington played in building the brand, rather than erasing their history. “How many white people grew up with Aunt Jemima at breakfast? How many white companies made millions while giving us nothing? They can’t just erase this while we’re still suffering,” he said.
He further criticized the decision to rebrand without offering compensation or recognition for his family’s contributions. “After making all that money, now they want to erase history, while people are asking for reparations for slavery? They won’t give us anything. What gives them the right?”
Despite these protests, Quaker Foods has confirmed that all Aunt Jemima branding and imagery will be removed from its products by the end of the year.
