All props to Nancy Green (there was a great, top ranking World Cup ski racer from Canada, late 60s, early 70s, from Canada -- perhaps "Greene") --
But the image itself was sterotypical of blacks, for the reasons cited in my original post. On the other hand the same charge was made of the "Amos and Andy" TV shows (and radio shows) and quite sadly all copies were destroyed in the 60's because they were viewd as racist. IMO, no more racist than George Jefferson providing a less than stellar, but funny, depiction of a blackman. The Amos and Andy I remember was sweet, funny and full of humanity. Hardly a degrading image, IMO. That it focussed on some goofy characters is no different than Archie Bunker or the Three Stooges (which is far more a negative stereotyping of "whites" than Amos and Andy was of black.) Richard Pryor and other black comics had a host of hilarious black charactures in their routines. Kingfish and Saphire would have fit right in in their world. And Amos was the sweetest guy -- and as I recall, wise sage. Hardly a low stereotype. --- In [email protected], "L B Shriver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From The African-American Registry > > November 17 > > On this date we celebrate the birth of Nancy Green in 1834. She was a Black storyteller and > one of the first (Black) corporate models in the United States. > > The world knew her as "Aunt Jemima" but her given name was Nancy Green. The famous > Aunt Jemima recipe was not her recipe but she became the advertising world's first living > trademark. Miss Green was born a slave in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Chris Rutt, a > newspaperman, and Charles Underwood bought the Pearl Milling Company and had the > original idea of developing and packaging a ready-mixed, self-rising pancake flour. To > survive in a highly competitive business, the men needed an image for their product. > > In 1889, Rutt attended a vaudeville show where he heard a catchy tune called "Aunt > Jemima" sung by a blackface performer who was wearing an apron and bandanna > headband. He decided to call their pancake flour "Aunt Jemima". Later, Rutt and > Underwood were so short of capital funds that they were broke. In 1890, they sold the > formula to the R. T. Davis Milling Company. Mr. Davis began looking for a Negro woman to > employ as a living trademark for his product, and he found Nancy Green in Chicago. She > was 56 years old. The Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix was introduced in St. Joseph, Missouri. > > In 1893, the Davis Milling Company aggressively began an all-out promotion of "Aunt > Jemima" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Green, as "Aunt Jemima" > demonstrated the pancake mix and served thousands of pancakes. Green was a hit, > friendly, a good storyteller, and a good cook. Her warm and appealing personality made > her the ideal "Aunt Jemima" a living trademark. Her exhibition booth drew so many people > that special policemen were assigned to keep the crowds moving. The Davis Milling > Company received over 50,000 orders, and Fair officials awarded Nancy Green a medal > and certificate for her showmanship. > > She was proclaimed "Pancake Queen." She was signed to a lifetime contract and traveled > on promotional tours all over the country. Flour sales were up all year and pancakes were > no longer considered exclusively for breakfast. Nancy Green maintained this job until a car > crash in Chicago killed her, on September 23, 1923. The Davis Company also ran into > money problems, and the Quaker Oats Company purchased the Aunt Jemima Mills in > 1925. > > Reference: > Black Women in America An Historical Encyclopedia > Volumes 1 and 2, edited by Darlene Clark Hine > Copyright 1993, Carlson Publishing Inc., Brooklyn, New York > ISBN 0-926019-61-9 > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Dying to be thin? Anorexia. Narrated by Julianne Moore. http://us.click.yahoo.com/abEMxA/sbOLAA/d1hLAA/0NYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
