In 1890, a woman by the name of Nancy Green – a slave born in 1834 – was portrayed on a bottle of syrup and given the name “Aunt Jemima.” Her photo was used for many years on the boxes and bottles of the popular brand, and she was the first woman to portray everyone’s favorite “aunt” on the products. Over the years there have been different women on the product portrayed as Aunt Jemima, including Anna Short Harrington, whose two grandsons are now suing the company for $2 billion and shares of future revenue.
A federal lawsuit was filed by Harrington’s grandsons in Chicago just before fall arrived, and it states that all the family members of the women whose photos were used to portray Aunt Jemima should be issued compensation for their roles as models. The lawsuit also says that Harrington and Green were the ones who came up with the recipe for the famous pancakes, and that has earned them even more money.
Quaker Oats now owns the brand, and they have a different opinion.
“The image symbolizes a sense of caring, warmth, hospitality and comfort and is neither based on, nor meant to depict any one person. While we cannot discuss the details of pending litigation, we do not believe there is any merit to this lawsuit,” said a statement from Quaker Oats. There are no contracts between the models and the pancake company.
The grandson’s of Harrington, however, insist there were verbal contracts that were never met. They insist that the companies that have owned Aunt Jemima over the years have, “made false promises to Nancy Green and Anna Harrington,” and that every time the brand used either woman’s, “name, voice or likeness was used in connection with the products or goods, the ladies would receive a percentage of the monies or royalties received.”
The lawsuit is ongoing, and details have not been made public, but there are plenty of people willing to step forward and offer their own personal opinion on the subject, which has turned into a hot controversy surrounding the use of slaves and their superior culinary skills. In this case, it’s alleged that the owners of these slaves used their slaves to create a product based on their ideas, their looks and their roles as slaves without compensating them or their families what they believe they are rightfully owed.
Photo by Quaker Oats
