Amidst the recent tragic death of George Floyd, companies all over the United States like Cream of Wheat are taking a step forward and replacing their stereotypical covers for their products.
What We Know:
- Cream of Wheat became the latest food brand to announce a review and ultimately replace the packaging on Chicago Chef Frank L. White.
- The decision comes after Aunt Jemima announced Wednesday that they were changing their logo since it is a “racist caricature of a black maid”.
- Scholars brought awareness to the logo since it is about a man who spoke “broken English” and was depicted as a “dim-witted” former slave.
- Critics criticized the change of logo, thinking of it as “unnecessary”.
Mrs. Butterworth (who I thought was white), Uncle Ben's, now Cream of Wheat. How about Lucky Charms, Irish Stereotyping. I am offended CANCEL it! pic.twitter.com/4jTCQEq5Aj
— Bless*Your*Little*Heart (@LeslieSeeksTrut) June 18, 2020
- According to Forbes, “Cream of Wheat becomes the 4th brand in 24 hours to revisit packaging over racist origins”.
- B&G Foods told CNN Business the following:
“We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, 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.”
- Naa Oyo A. Kwate, associate professor of Africana studies at Rutgers University told CNN the following:
“You still are referencing the place of black people as servants, as your chefs, You can still draw on that legacy of what slavery meant and what black people’s natural position is supposed to be — your own personal slave in a box”
- Food chains, as well as companies all over the world, are re-evaluating their logos and packaging to take the step forward against systemic racism.
- Many have supported the change from the food chains on Twitter:
As we talk about Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, please don't forget about Rastus (that is the characters name, look up what Rastus means) from Cream of Wheat. pic.twitter.com/luklkfK3IF
— K. Renae P. (@KRenaeP) June 17, 2020
- According to Greg Carr, professor of Africana studies at Howard University, “racist brands have persisted for so long because Americans have grown numb to their origins”.
The protests on the deaths of George Floyd and many more African Americans due to police brutality have shaken the nation and educated the community of the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
