Aunt Jemima image change and its history

For decades, Quaker Oats knew that one of its major brands, Aunt Jemima, was built on racist imagery.

The company inched toward fixing the problem over the years. And, replacing the kerchief on the Aunt Jemima character’s head with a plaid headband. Which later adding pearl earrings and a lace collar.

However, it was not until Wednesday that Quaker Oats had an announcement. They will drop the Aunt Jemima name and change the packaging.

They came to the decision to remake the brand due to widespread protests against racism. And, throughout the country that lead to changes in the corporate world.

The company stated it was working to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives.

Furthermore, the packaging changes will appear toward the end of the year, with the name change to follow.

The founders of the brand hired a former slave, Nancy Green, to portray Aunt Jemima at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

In recent years, the company considered doing away with the logo. The group that was on the project tossed around many ideas.

They had to be very aware of the broader implications, and what would happen if they got it wrong.

World reaction

Companies like Nike, Twitter, Adidas and Sephora support the protests.

The streaming service HBO Max temporarily removed the 1939 film “Gone With the Wind” from its catalog. That’s because of its glorification of the antebellum South.

In addition, the food and candy giant Mars. The owner of Uncle Ben’s, said it was “evaluating all possibilities”.

Mars said it did not yet know the changes it would make or when they would go into effect. It had a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices.

Moreover, the syrup brand Mrs. Butterworth’s said it was starting a complete brand and packaging review. They acknowledged that its bottle could be interpreted in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values.

B&G Foods also said that it was initiating a review of its Cream of Wheat packaging to take steps to ensure that the brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism.

Land O’Lakes had started removing stereotypical Native American imagery from many of its products before the recent protests.

She has been protesting police violence as a Black Lives Matter activist.

Social media reaction and investigation of Oluwatoyin Salau ‘s death

Social media users powered the name of Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau to become a top trending topic. Thousands of tweets were mourning the life of the young activist.

Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, was last seen in Tallahassee on June 6 before unconfirmed social media reports of her death emerged more than a week later.

The Tallahassee police Department announced that it was investigating a double homicide. Additionally, they had made an arrest in the case. However, neither revealed the identities of the victims nor the suspect.

During the course of a follow up investigation in a missing person case, Tallahassee found two deceased people.

People on Twitter quickly pointed to the Facebook post as verification of Oluwatoyin Salau’s death. Furthermore, it was unclear who the other victim might be.

Before her disappearance, Oluwatoyin Sakau made clear that she did engage in sexual intercourse, but not with concent.

As of Monday morning, a GoFundMe account to help find Salau exceeded its goal of raising $10,000.

Her reported death would be the latest in a recent string of suspicious deaths of young Black people as the nation protests against racism and police violence.

Other death cases

A man identified as Robert Fuller is on Wednesday hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall in California.

The 20-year-old is found hanging with a rope around his neck and was being reported as a suicide. In contrast, the hashtag #JusticeForRobertFuller started trending on Twitter as folks suspicious of a coverup called for a deeper investigation into Fuller’s death.

Moreover, two Black transgender women are possibly dead in the other side of town.

Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells is the first woman being dead as her body is found.  The second transgender woman is known as Riah Milton.

Those deaths came on the heels of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Floyd’s killing sparked nationwide protests over police violence and the racism that has many times been credited for such violence.

In Minneapolis, where incident happened, the Mayor Jacob Frey was leaving a protest.

“Go home Jacob Frey”

Dozens of demonstrators chanted at Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to go home.

He did leave the Saturday afternoon protest over police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

The crowd yelled “Shame!” as Frey was leaving the vicinity.

This reaction came after organizers gave a microphone to the mayor. He told demonstrators that he had been coming to grips with his “own brokenness” and acknowledged a need for structural reform.

Furthermore, he said that the racist system needed to be revamped, in terms of how the police department operates.

Moreover, on a video it is shown that a protest organizer took the microphone. Only to ask Jacob Frey would he commit to defunding the Minneapolis Police Department.

After some back and forth, Frey answered that he does not support the full abolition of the police. At that moment the crowd started booing and called for Jacob Frey to go home.

Defunding the police

Calls to “defund the police” are growing across the nation.

However, many activists say this means they want funds to be reallocated from police departments to initiatives that support communities of color. Some of the initiatives include mental health resources and COVID-19 support.

In addition, many advocates say this movement is not promoting the full abolition of police, rather they want cities to scale back on police department budgets.

Over the last few decades, police budgets across the country have risen into the billions.

It is unclear whether or not Jacob Frey knew exactly what the protesters were calling for. And, or if these organizers actually wanted Frey to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department.

Anyhow, Frey is a first-term mayor who was presiding over a thriving city before the death of Floyd. So, a handcuffed black man, sparked the violence.

This incident stroke a nerve not only in Minneapolis, but in the whole US. Which also spread to some parts of the world.

The situation was not handled very well by the Minneapolis authorities.

Therefore, some wonder whether Frey’s approach to the crisis might damage his chances for reelection next year.

Lifting of the NYC curfew and further reforms

The 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is going to expire Monday morning.

However, the mayor tweeted Sunday that it would end, effective immediately, after several nights of mostly peaceful protests.

De Balasio tweeted that the NYC curfew was lifting and was effective immediately. They are taking the first step to restart. Additionally, he advised people to keep safe and to look out for each other.

5 days in row there were no significant damages and the protests were peaceful.

He thanked everyone who expressed their views peacefully and who worked for change in the city. Moreover, he stated that each day the situation was better with fewer arrests.

From Monday, it is the start of phase 1, the restart of the city and its economy.

After the lifting of the NYC curfew, people should be focused on battling the COVID-19 which still has not been eradicated.

He said that he would form a task force of city government leaders, task force on racial equity and inclusion. The next 18 months are crucial.  The New York city authorities have much in plan for reforms.

Protests and police brutality

Furthermore, massive protests against police brutality nationwide capped a week that began in chaos. However, it ended with largely peaceful gatherings that organizers hope will sustain their movement.

In New York City, thousands took to the streets and parks Saturday to protest the death of George Floyd and police brutality.

The NYPD took a more hands-off approach to the curfew, which had been a source of tension between officers and demonstrators since it was imposed on Monday.

They did not use more militarized tactics which do not have any place in New York City. De Balasio is pleased that the National Guard did not come to the streets.

In addition, thousands of people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into lower Manhattan, where other groups numbering in the hundreds to thousands marched or gathered.

De Blasio is saying that only four arrests and 24 summonses are during the day.

Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25 has galvanized the expanding movement calling for racial equality and police reform.