Criticism around Aunt Jemina’s "mammy" logo drove company officials to ditch the branding over the summer. According to Ferris State University, a "mammy" refers to a Black woman content with her status as a slave and house servant.

Those who comments why not chef boyardee? True fact is Aunt jemima was a real “slave”. This photo they took of her headshot only, because she was “Chained” to a Table while cooking for her “slave owners”. This label is racism they made millions on her recipes. I don’t support it pic.twitter.com/kW55x5pUtl

— Cassie aka Cocoa (@CocoaFever) September 23, 2020

Since the 1940s, Uncle Ben’s rice boxes have featured a white-haired Black man, according to an archived, branded webpage. Mars has said the image was modeled after a Chicago chief waiter named Frank Brown, a depiction critics say allude to slavery. The namesake derives from a fictitious Black rice farmer from Texas supposedly renowned for his high-quality crop.

"For some, it clearly had overtones of servitude, and that is not the brand that we want to represent," Dawson told CNN Business.

The company executive said it took months of talks with employees and stakeholders to land on the rebrand and they still have some work to do before the revamped logo debuts next year.

Mars also announced that it will partner with the National Urban League and donate $2 million to a scholarship fund for emerging Black chefs. The company will also give a separate endowment of $2.5 million to educational programs and food access initiatives in Greenville, Mississippi, a Black-majority community where its products have been manufactured for nearly 40 years, according to BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Ben's-Original

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week