Aunt Jemima Brand Retired by Quaker Due to Racial Stereotype

NEW YORK (AP) — America’s painful struggles over racism have finally caught up with Aunt Jemima, that ubiquitous fixture served up at breakfast tables for 131 years.

Quaker Oats announced Wednesday that it will retire the Aunt Jemima brand, saying the company recognizes the character’s origins are “based on a racial stereotype.”

Other brands are also reconsidering racist stereotypes in their branding, the the latest signal of the powerful cultural moment unleashed by the Black Lives Matter protests.

But reconsideration of the images also raised questions about why they have endured for so long in the first place.