In 2020, against the backdrop of global demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism, several famous food brands around the world, including Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Eskimo Pie, Red Skins, Chicos, Beso de Negra and Gypsy Sauce, publicly acknowledged the racist origins of their brand names and logos and vowed to change them.
This change was long overdue. Some of these brands, like Aunt Jemima and Gypsy Sauce, have been around for over a hundred years. Despite activists and critics protesting the commercial co-optation of their cultures, and the racist connotations of certain branding, over the years — especially online via petitions — nothing changed for over a century.
