The well-known breakfast brand formerly recognized as “Aunt Jemima” has officially been reintroduced under the name Pearl Milling Company. This new identity honors the original mill, established in 1888, which first created the beloved pancake mix a year later in 1889.
For years, the brand faced criticism due to its imagery and historical associations, which many felt were outdated and insensitive. In response to these concerns, and following a broader cultural shift in 2020, the company decided to move forward with a new name and brand identity.
In a public statement, Pearl Milling Company explained: “In June, PepsiCo and The Quaker Oats Company committed to changing the name and image of Aunt Jemima to better align with our values. While the packaging may look different, the same delicious products that customers have always enjoyed remain inside — the ‘pearl’ within the familiar red box.”
The History of Aunt Jemima
The Aunt Jemima brand was first introduced in 1889 by entrepreneurs Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood. From the beginning, the company sought a recognizable face for its products and hired a Black woman, Nancy Green, to represent the brand. Green had previously been enslaved and later worked as a cook on Chicago’s South Side. She was chosen to don an apron and headscarf while serving pancakes at a popular fairground attraction called “The White City.” Her role expanded when she appeared at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where she prepared pancakes and shared stories that nostalgically depicted the so-called “good old plantation days.”
After Nancy Green, several women continued to portray the Aunt Jemima character over the decades. Lillian Richard embodied the role for more than 20 years, followed by Anna Robinson in 1933. Eventually, Anna Short Harrington became the most famous face of the brand. Born on a South Carolina plantation, Harrington grew up working with her family as sharecroppers. In 1927, she moved to New York, where she initially worked as a maid for a white family and later as a cook at a fraternity house and for affluent households, including that of Governor Thomas E. Dewey.
Harrington’s big break came in 1935 when a Quaker Oats representative saw her preparing pancakes at the New York State Fair. Impressed, the company hired her as the official Aunt Jemima. She quickly became a national figure, traveling across the country to promote the brand while performing in character, serving pancakes, and participating in public events. Her role helped solidify Aunt Jemima as a recognizable household name for generations.
In the 1950s and 1960s, actress Aylene Lewis portrayed Aunt Jemima in promotional events and advertisements. By 1989, the company decided to modernize the brand’s image, introducing what they called a “contemporary look” that featured a lace collar and pearl earrings. Ethel Ernestine Harper was the last real woman to serve as the face of Aunt Jemima before retiring in 1958 to pursue a career as a Black history teacher and radio host.
The iconic Aunt Jemima logo and imagery were deeply rooted in Old South plantation nostalgia. According to Riché Richardson, associate professor at Cornell University’s Africana Studies and Research Center, the character was based on the “mammy” stereotype—a devoted, submissive caretaker who loyally nurtured white families while neglecting her own. Richardson explained in a 2015 New York Times op-ed that the imagery presented the character as an ase*ual, plump Black woman wearing a headscarf, reinforcing a romanticized myth of plantation life.
Not everyone welcomed the rebranding. Following the 2020 announcement, Larnell Evans Sr., a great-grandson of Anna Short Harrington, publicly voiced his concerns, arguing that changing the brand name erases her legacy. In an interview with Patch, Evans stated, “This is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of my history. The racism they reference, using images from slavery, comes from the other side — white people. The company profits off images of our slavery, and their response is to erase my great-grandmother’s history. A Black woman… it hurts.”
The controversy also extends to the use of Harrington’s original pancake recipe. In 2014, Evans and his nephew filed a lawsuit against Quaker Oats, seeking $3 billion in royalties for allegedly using Harrington’s recipe without compensation. The court ultimately dismissed the case, ruling that they were not the official executors of Harrington’s estate and therefore did not have the legal standing to sue on her behalf.
Evans emphasized the dedication of his great-grandmother, noting, “She worked for Quaker Oats for 20 years, traveling across the United States and Canada making pancakes as Aunt Jemima. This was her job, after slavery. She served countless people, and now her history is being erased. How do you think I feel as a Black man sharing my family’s story while they try to erase it?”
Now 66 years old, Evans is a Marine Corps veteran living on disability in North Carolina. He argues that families like his deserve more than symbolic acknowledgment from companies that profited from racialized imagery and then attempted to remove that history through rebranding.
Not all descendants view the rebranding as negative. Vera Harris, a descendant of Lillian Richard, expressed cautious support. She explained, “I understand the images that white America portrayed years ago—they painted themselves Black and claimed that as our identity. I understand Quaker Oats’ decision because I’m Black and don’t want a negative image promoted. But I also don’t want her legacy lost. If her history is swept away, it’s as if she never existed.”
Similarly, Marcus Hayes, a great-nephew of Nancy Green, the original Aunt Jemima, acknowledged the reasoning behind the 2020 rebrand. He said, “I understand the sensitivity of the name and the brand, but I also don’t want Nancy Green’s contributions under that name to be forgotten.”
Harris highlighted the challenges Richard faced during her career, noting that opportunities for Black women were extremely limited at the time. “She took the job to earn an honest living, traveling to fairs, cooking demonstrations, and events. When she returned home, her community was proud of her—and we’re still proud of her today.”