How About Calling the Old Aunt Jemima Brand after Nancy Green?

   A year ago, Quaker Oats announced it was discontinuing the Aunt Jemima syrup brand, replacing it with the brand name Pearl Milling Company.

   I appreciate efforts not to demean or stereotype. But I wonder if the company could have honored Nancy Green. Aunt Jemima was a fictitious person. Nor was the syrup's recipe from Nancy Green, but Nancy Green was the first person who played the role of Aunt Jemima. Instead of changing the brand name to Pearl Milling Company, change it to Nancy Green's Superior Syrup.

   "Aunt Jemima" became the world's first living trademark.. She died 100 years ago. Since she is not alive, we can't be certain what she would make of the controversy today. However, it seems she would most-likely appreciate the brand being named after her.. She would just have to understand why it can no longer be called "Aunt Jemima, but would probably also appreciate the brand using her real name. Do any pictures of what she looked like and how she dressed when she was not playing Aunt Jemima? Use one of those on the bottle. If not, have her dressed in the dress of the time.

  Sales of the syrup fell dramatically when the name was changed to Pearl Milling Company. Whereas the Aunt Jemima brand was common in stores, I do not believe I have ever seen Pearl Milling Company syrup on store shelves. This would generate publicity that could turn sales back upwards.