Dive Brief:
- The great grandson of Anna Short Harrington, whose face graced packages of Aunt Jemima brand pancake mixes and syrups, has filed a $2 billion class action lawsuit alleging Quaker Oats conspired to deny Harrington's heirs appropriate compensation.
- At issue is whether or not Harrington was an employee of Quaker Oats when she began appearing in the Aunt Jemima role in 1935.
- Named as defendants in the suit are Quaker Oats and its parent company, PepsiCo, as well as Pinnacle Foods and Hillshire Brands.
Dive Insight:
The history of the Aunt Jemima character is considerably more complex than a cursory reading of the lawsuit might suggest.
Aunt Jemima was born as a character in minstrel shows as far back as 1875. An image based on the character first appears on pancake boxes as early as 1889. And the first person hired as "Aunt Jemima" the spokesperson was a former slave named Nancy Green in 1890. Harrington first appears on the scene, and on the boxes, nearly a half century later.