Nancy Green (below) portrayed the Aunt Jemima character at the
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, one of the first
Black corporate models in the United States.
Subsequent advertising agencies hired dozens of actors to perform
the role as the first organized sales promotion campaign.
The Aunt Jemima character has been criticized as an example of
the exploitation of Black women in American society. "Aunt Jemima"
is sometimes used as a female version of the derogatory epithet
"Uncle Tom" or "Rastus". In June 2020, Quaker Oats announced
that the Aunt Jemima brand would be discontinued "to make
progress toward racial equality", and the brand was discontinued
one year later.
Nancy Green (March 4, 1834 – August 30, 1923)
