Larnell Evans Sr., the great-grandson of “Aunt Jemima,” is speaking out against Quaker Oats’ decision to retire the iconic breakfast brand. He believes that simply removing the brand is an attempt to erase the racist history associated with it, and that it is an injustice to his family.
Evans’s great-grandmother, Anna Short Harrington, took over the role of “Aunt Jemima” after the original actress, Nancy Green, passed away. Harrington was born on a South Carolina plantation and later worked as a maid and cook for a white family in New York. It was during her time at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house in Syracuse that a Quaker Oats representative discovered her and started using her likeness on products and advertising.
Harrington became a national celebrity, traveling across the United States and Canada, serving as Aunt Jemima and making her famous pancakes. However, her descendants filed a lawsuit in 2014, claiming that Quaker Oats had not paid royalties to Harrington’s family. The case was dismissed by a federal judge, stating that Evans and his nephew did not have legal standing to sue in Harrington’s name.
