#GAReads | The Fight To Preserve The Legacy Of Nancy Green, The Chicago Woman Who Played The Original 'Aunt Jemima'

A.B. Frost’s portrait of Nancy Green as Aunt Jemima (sometime prior to 1923). Image credit: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“The Fight To Preserve The Legacy Of Nancy Green, The Chicago Woman Who Played The Original ‘Aunt Jemima’“:

You probably don’t know the name Nancy Green, but you’d recognize her face. The Chicago woman originally portrayed the Aunt Jemima trademark, and efforts are being made to preserve her legacy as Quaker Oats removes the Aunt Jemima name and image from their popular pancake products.

The brand name Aunt Jemima — which Quaker Oats officials admitted this week is “based on a racial stereotype” — was derived from an African American “mammy” character from a popular minstrel show in the late 19th century.

Green, a former slave who moved to Chicago to work as a caretaker for a prominent white family, was hired to portray a living version of the character at the 1893 World’s Fair, according to her obituaries. She was later hired to play the role for the pancake company until her death.

Read Katherine Nagasawa’s full article at WBEZ Chicago here…