The black face, the smile safe and bright... Uncle Ben's and Aunt Jemima had settled in the hearts of Americans, and even much more, for decades. But today, they appear as stereotypes of african-americans that it is necessary to abolish it. The anti-racism movement, and Black Lives Matter, in particular, is spent there. The marks at the origin of these mythical characters have realized that times have changed. It is therefore time debunk Uncle Ben's and Aunt Jemima.

Under the pressure of the street, so they will disappear from the shelves of supermarkets american. Aunt Jemima, a black woman, iconic, which adorns the bottles of maple syrup and preparations for the pancake breakfast of Quaker Oats on the shelves in the u.s. since more than 130 years to the continuance of "racial stereotypes" and will disappear by the end of the year, promised on Tuesday the company, which belongs to the group and Pepsico.

Planting of rice and segregation

In the aftermath, March, another giant of the global agri-food has recognized in a press release " that the time has come to evolve the brand Uncle Ben's, including its visual identity, and that is what we will do ". But March remained vague on what he would make of his brand of rice and has not pledged to abandon the image. "We don't know for the moment what will be exactly the changes or according to what timetable, but we are evaluating all possibilities ", said the release. Quaker Oats, on the other hand, will get rid entirely of the visual brand of here at the end of the year and will change the name.

Read also FOG – The racialisme, this "good" racism of the left

Aunt Jemima, a woman with dark skin and bright smile, calls to mind the handmaids black in the southern United States and, by association, the history of first slavery, then segregated to this part of the United States, where the black minority is still subject to numerous forms of discrimination. The image of Aunt Jemima has evolved over time, " but not enough ", says Quaker Oats. As for Uncle Ben's, it evokes necessarily the plantations of cotton or rice who, exploited only through the slaves, were the wealth of the South that triggered a bloody civil war to try to preserve this system at all costs.

Introspection on systemic racism in the United States

The United States have known for more than a month of mass demonstrations denouncing the police violence done to African-Americans and, more broadly, racism in general, and the legacy of hundreds of years of slavery. In the Face of pressure from the street and the networks, the country and its companies have delved in a wide introspection about the place of the afro-american population in society and the systemic racism which the strike and perpetuates inequality. All indicators show that Black americans are disadvantaged compared to the white population : access to education, to health care, employment, housing, banking system, etc

Read also " Will I charge the white man of today to be responsible for the slavers of the Seventeenth century ? "

Quaker Oats and Mars, whose products, like those of the brands Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben ' s, are ubiquitous in u.s. supermarkets, are the last two companies in date to respond. But before them many other have embraced the slogan "Black Lives Matter" and promised to amend their recruitment methods to facilitate the hiring of members of visible minorities, or to pay money to improve the integration of the community.

millions of dollars to support black communities

The position sometimes considered hypocritical and opportunistic to the point of having created the expression "BLM washing" like the " Green washing ", which refers to the strategies of companies pretending to fight global warming or the protection of the environment. Aunt Jemima announced that she was going to pay $ 5 million in favour of initiatives for the minority afro-american.

also Read "The movement of protest against racism calls for concrete action"

Tuesday, it is the parent company PepsiCo had announced a plan of $ 400 million over 5 years to support black communities and increase the representation of black people " within the group. For March, the group highlighted, in its press release, that "racism has no place in society" and promises to fight anywhere in the world. "We are alongside, and in solidarity with the black community, our associates (employees) and our partners in the fight for social justice. "