Goodbye Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, Cream of Wheat's Rastus, and Beyond

When history is written, or, at least, when Internet sites create the "On this Date" tidbits, what do you think will be recalled for June 17, 2020?

One major development recalled will be the major corporate shift in neocolonial systematic racism. Talk about twilight language being rather obvious but ignored!

On the evening of June 16, 2020, there was a firestorm on Twitter, in which "Aunt Jemima" started trending.

The flashpoint came about after a TikTok video by singer Kirby, titled "How Not to Make a Racist Breakfast,” started spreading virally on the Internet. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanhian tweeted “how is Aunt Jemima not canceled?” The viral video, which explores the offensive origins of Aunt Jemima pancakes, is trending on Twitter with two million views. It begs the question: "Do Americans realize that we are cooking up racism in the kitchen?"

Forbes' Seth Cohen noted all this on June 17, 2020. Then, also on June 17, 2020, Quaker Oats announced that the Aunt Jemima brand would be replaced with a new name and image. The news came, some Wikipedia writers theorized, only days after the parody newspaper The Onion had published a satirical article about a similar, but fictional, announcement. Wikipedia apparently missed Twitter's and TikTok's part in this.

Aunt Jemima's History 

Summarized by Wikipedia:

Aunt Jemima is based on the common "Mammy" stereotype, a character in minstrel shows in the late 1800s. Her skin is dark and dewy, with a pearly white smile. She wears a scarf over her head and a polka dot dress with a white collar, similar to the common attire and physical features of "mammy" characters throughout history. A character named "Aunt Jemima" appeared on the stage in Washington, D.C., as early as 1864.
The inspiration for Aunt Jemima was Billy Kersands' American-style minstrelsy/vaudeville song "Old Aunt Jemima", written in 1875. Rutt reportedly saw a minstrel show featuring the "Old Aunt Jemima" song in the fall of 1889, presented by blackface performers identified by Arthur F. Marquette as "Baker & Farrell". Marquette recounts that the actor playing Aunt Jemima wore an apron and kerchief, and Rutt appropriated this Aunt Jemima character to market the Pearl Milling Company pancake mix in late 1889.

However, Doris Witt at University of Iowa was unable to confirm Marquette's account. Witt suggests that Rutt might have witnessed a performance by the vaudeville performer Pete F. Baker, who played characters described in newspapers of that era as "Ludwig" and "Aunt Jemima". His portrayal of the Aunt Jemima character may have been a white male in blackface, pretending to be a German immigrant, imitating a black minstrel parodying an imaginary black female slave cook.

The original version of the current Aunt Jemima logo was designed by H. Gene Miller, but he was unofficially credited. He also designed the original version of the current San Giorgio pasta company log. James J. Jaffee, a freelance artist from the Bronx, New York, also designed one of the images of Aunt Jemima used by Quaker Oats to market the product into the mid-20th century.
Just as the formula for the mix has changed several times over the years, so has the Aunt Jemima image been modified several times. In 1968, she was slimmed down from her previous appearance, depicting a more “svelte” look and wearing a white collar and geometric print “headband” still resembling her previous kerchief.
In 1989, as she marked her 100th anniversary, her image was again updated, with all head-covering removed, revealing wavy, gray-streaked hair and gold-trimmed pearl earrings and replacing her plain white collar with lace. At the time, the revised image was described as a move towards a more “sophisticated” depiction, with Quaker marketing the change as giving her “a more contemporary look” and which remains on the products as of 2020.
Outside the United States, the character still has her original mammy personality in advertisements and she is still referred to as the Aunt.
One interpretation is that Aunt Jemima embodied an early 20th century idealized domesticity that was inspired by old Southern hospitality. There were others that capitalized on this theme, such as Uncle Ben's Rice and Cream of Wheat’s Rastus. The backdrop to the trademark image of Aunt Jemima is a romanticized view of antebellum plantation life. The myth surrounding Aunt Jemima's secret recipe, family life, and plantation life as a happy slave contributes to the post-Civil War idealism of Southern life and America's developing consumer culture. Early advertisements used an Aunt Jemima paper doll family as an advertising gimmick to sell the product. Aunt Jemima is represented with her husband, Rastus, whose name was later changed to Uncle Mose to avoid confusion with the Cream of Wheat character, and their five children: Abraham, Lincoln, Dilsie, Zeb, and Dinah. The doll family was barefoot and dressed in tattered clothing with the possibility to see them transform from rags to riches by buying another box with civilized clothing cut-outs.

Portrayed by a Slave

The R. T. Davis Milling Company hired Nancy Green as a spokesperson for the Aunt Jemima pancake mix in 1890, until her death on August 30, 1923. Nancy Green was born a slave in Montgomery County, Kentucky. As Jemima, Green appeared beside the "world's largest flour barrel" operating a pancake-cooking display at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Marketing materials for the line of products centered around the stereotypical mammy archetype, including the slogan first used at that Exposition: "I's in Town, Honey". Anna Julia Cooper used the World's Columbian Exposition as an opportunity to address how young African American women were being exploited by white men. She predicted the appeal of Aunt Jemima and the southern domestic ideal and went on to describe the north's fascination with southern traditions as part of America's “unwritten history”. Progressive African American women post emancipation saw Aunt Jemima's image as a setback that inspired a regression in race relations.

During the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, Blacks were not respected enough to be called "Mr." and "Miss" or "Mrs." It was more acceptable in the old Confederacy to address Blacks as "Uncle" or "Aunt" in corporate situation, while they were being termed "boy," "girl," and worse, in private.

Beyond Aunt Jemima 

In the wake of the Aunt Jemima brand withdrawing their stereotyped imagery, Uncle Ben's, Mrs. Butterworth, and Cream of Wheat's Rastus have fallen under scrutiny.  (See also WSJ, "With Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth’s and Uncle Ben’s set to disappear from American kitchens, a look back at their racist origins.")

Critics have long associated the shape of the Mrs. Butterworth’s bottle with the mammy, a caricature of black women as subservient to white people.
And later on Wednesday, B&G Foods Inc., the parent company of Cream of Wheat, announced that it too was conducting a review of its packaging.
The porridge box, which depicts a beaming black man in a white chef’s uniform, has not been altered much since its debut in the late 19th century. The character was named “Rastus,” a pejorative term for black men, and he was once depicted as a barely literate cook who did not know what vitamins were.
“We understand there are concerns regarding the chef image,” the company said in its statement, “and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism.”
***

For decades, many have expressed concerns about the matronly shape of the Mrs. Butterworth’s container.
“I think the key issue with Mrs. Butterworth is her physical shape, which strongly resembles the mammy caricature,” Professor Thomas said. “So while she’s been personified as an elderly white woman, mainly through vocal affect, her physique and style of dress bear a striking resemblance to that of the mammy.”
In its statement, ConAgra Brands said Mrs. Butterworth was “intended to evoke the images of a loving grandmother.” But the company said it wanted to stand in solidarity with “our black and brown communities, and we can see that our packaging may be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values.” Source.

Others have vanished before, but the cleansing is not done.

The battle against racist stereotypes is far from over, despite what occurred on June 17, 2020.

See here and further more at "Racial and Racist Stereotypes in Media."

***

Breaking News

June 18, 2020

Citing the “horrific racist imagery associated with the phrase,” the University of Florida will no longer use the popular “Gator Bait” chant during athletic events, school president Kent Fuchs announced on Thursday, June 18, 2020. There are numerous references, including this report from the Miami New Times, that have cited that African American babies were used as alligator bait.

The statement from UF President Kent Fuchs is here.

For more, see The Undefeated, "The Gut-Wrenching History of Black Babies and Alligators."

(Warning: Like all above, these are horrible.)

Why did it take this long?

Trees Again: Theater Shooting in Maple Grove

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On August 11, 2015, I wrote about the sites of recent shootings, and noted: "The common denominator in all of these names: trees."

I looked at incidents aligned with Hickory, Oak, Willow, and Beech. Names of trees.

I ended that quick review by writing, "Are tree-linked locations worth watching for future risks? What's next? What happens tomorrow? Or more likely, on August 19, exactly four weeks after the July 22nd Trainwreck shooting? That fits into the copycat effect pattern, specifically."

Looking for the 19th, the exact four weeks mark, I'd forgotten that sometimes the "anniversary syndrome" goes for the specific same number in one month...in this case, the 22nd of August.

And what happened on the 22nd? 

Enki King alerted me to what occurred with a simple subject line: Trees Again.

Another theater-related shooting occurred at a location with four tree-linked names - Maple Grove, Arbor (= tree) Lakes, and Elm Creek Boulevard, plus the nearby Hemlock Lane. Also, there's another tree name, but more on that later.

At about 10:00 pm Central Time on Saturday, August 22, 2015, a shooting took place outside a Maple Grove movie theater, which sent two people to the hospital. The exact location was at the parking lot of the AMC Arbor Lakes 16 Theater, 12575 Elm Creek Boulevard North, Maple Grove, Minnesota theater. 

I don't need to be pounded in the face with this massive "coincidence" to consider this name game worthy of my attention, needless to say.

According to Maple Grove police, the event began at the AMC theater, but the officers found the victims at a Wendy’s, 7445 71st Avenue, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (shown below).

The Fast Food Side Trip...

The so-called infamous "Wendy's Massacre" took place on May 24, 2000, at the Wendy's Restaurant, 40-12 Main Street, Flushing, Queens, New York, leaving five customers dead and two wounded. On March 3, 2008, at a Wendy's in West Palm Beach, Florida, two were killed (including the shooter by suicide), and four injured.

On Friday, August 21, 2015, a savage killing at a McDonald's in New York City made the Big Apple's tabloids. The alleged man with the knife is named Jesus Santiago, 46. "Santiago" means Saint James. The homeless man who was killed is named Orlando Rivera, 38. Orlando = fame of the land, and Riveria = river bank, coast.

For other recent surveys of fast food mass killings and mayhem, see here, here, and here.

Meanwhile in Maple Grove, Minnesota...

"It appears, at this time, the victims left this area, fled this area, and went to another location [the Wendy's] and that's where they called 911," said Capt. Adam Lindquist of the Maple Grove Police Department.

Whoa. The name Lindquist means linden tree + twig. Yes, another tree name. (Deep appreciation to aferrismoon for sending that insight along.)

The victims were injured but will recover after hospitalization.

Police then quickly blocked off a section of the theater parking lot to gather evidence.

Lindquist said. “We’re gathering all the information. We’re going to put as many pieces of the puzzle together. It’s an open investigation and hope to bring closure and figure out exactly what happened and find who’s responsible for the shooting.”

Moviegoers didn't know a shooting had occurred, and no one inside the theater was hurt. 

Police have not made any arrests and haven't given information on a potential motive. 

Lindquist said the public is safe.

+++

Another time/tree sync. Thanks to Enki King who passes along this:

More than one Maple Grove has emerged from the twilight and into the news this week. In a strange and tragic event, a man was killed by police in a church in Maple Grove, NC on the 19th. This Maple Grove is located in Haywood County.

ABC News reported:

An Army veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder was killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement at a church in the North Carolina mountains, officials and a charity said Thursday [August 20, 2015].
The shooting on Wednesday [August 19, 2015] happened after officers from multiple agencies responded to an emergency call claiming four people were shot, according to a news release from the State Bureau of Investigation.
When officers arrived at Maple Grove Baptist Church in Waynesville, the emergency call turned out to be false. The SBI said there were no shooting victims, and the only person at the church was 44-year-old Wade Allen Baker of the nearby community of Clyde.
A short standoff ensued, and Baker exchanged gunfire with officers, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were hurt....

Del Taco Hit

The mixture of a date, a name, and a location come rushing at us in the news today, to remind us to not let our twilight language guard down.

On June 19, 1982, the dead, limp body of God's Banker, Roberto Calvi was found hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London.



Before George Jo Hennard crashed his truck into Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, on October 16, 1991, and sprayed it with gunfire. killing 23, including himself, wounding 20, he had watched a documentary video at home about a similar scenario carried out by James Oliver Huberty, who killed 21 people and wounded 19 at a San Ysidro, California, McDonald's on July 18, 1984. Huberty was shot dead at the McDonald's by law enforcement personnel.



On March 1, 2000, a man opened fire at a Burger King and a McDonald's in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, killing 3 and injuring 2 others. On May 24, 2000, a Queens. New York, Wendy's was shattered by gunfire that left 5 dead and 2 wounded. On January 20, 2003, a man walked into a Burger King in Pomona, California, killed 2 and was shoot by police, in what was called a "suicide by cops."

The ripples continue.

A man walked into a Southern California fast food restaurant and shot his stepdaughter and her family of four as they ate lunch together, killing the woman's husband and 8-year-old son before fatally shooting himself Saturday afternoon, June 19, 2010, one day before Father's Day.

The gunman, who was identified as Jimmy Schlager, 56, of Lancaster, rode a bicycle to the Del Taco restaurant restaurant in San Bernardino, California, before opening fire at his family, who were having lunch. The name Schlager is German, and is loosely translated as a "hit," formerly, as in a "musical hit." There are apparent records of Schlager having a criminal record of some violence.

Both his stepdaughter, 29, and her five-year-old son sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital in critical condition. His stepdaughter's 33-year-old husband and his six-year-old son died from their wounds.

Schlager arrived at the Del Taco restaurant in San Bernardino on a bike at about 1 p.m., walked over to a table and opened fire on his stepdaughter, her husband, and their sons, San Bernardino police Lieutenant Jarrod Burguan said. While the motive remains unclear, authorities believe "there’s a domestic connection," Burguan said.

Witnesses offered the police "very vague" accounts of what Mr. Schlager said to the family, Burguan said: "Something to the effect of, ‘Well, what do you think of me now?’"

The woman's husband, 33, was declared dead at the restaurant and the 8-year-old was declared dead at a hospital, San Bernardino Fire Department spokesman Steve Tracey said.

The woman and the 6-year-old boy were hospitalized in critical condition, Tracey said.

Police said several other people were in the restaurant, but the gunman clearly walked in seeking the four victims. They said the gunman had a long and violent criminal record, but did not give further details.

Owners of nearby businesses said horrified patrons streamed out of the restaurant after the shots were fired.

"I saw some people yelling and all of a sudden I heard 'boom, boom, boom, boom'," Jorge Garcia, who works at a recycling trailer in the same parking lot as the restaurant, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "I saw two employees run out of the employee door and then I saw eight or 10 people run out of the restaurant and across the street."

What will the next week deliver to our consciousness via forthcoming breaking headlines?