Uncle Ben's Is Getting New Branding As Companies Ditch Logos With Racist Origins
Mars announced today that it would "evolve" its Uncle Ben's brand, as more companies aim to distance themselves from logos and brand names with racist origins.
In a statement on the brand's website, previously reported on by CNN, Mars began by saying that it has been listening to Black employees and customers and believes now is the time to "evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand."
They wrote:
As a global brand, we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices. As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do.
They acknowledged that they don't know "what the exact changes or timing will be," but "are evaluating all possibilities." This news comes shortly after Quaker Oats announced that it will be renaming and changing the logo of its Aunt Jemima branding after years of criticism. Additionally, Conagra Foods told Forbes on Wednesday that it has "begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s."
The Uncle Ben logo and name was based on two people, according to the brand's website: a Black Texan rice farmer, who was known as Uncle Ben, and a beloved Chicago chef and waiter named Frank Brown, who was the inspiration for the logo. Similarly to Aunt Jemima, the brand's logo got a makeover in recent years, but still has frequently been criticized by many, not only for its logo, but also because of the racist origins of its name. According to The New York Times, "white Southerners once used 'uncle' and 'aunt' as honorifics for older blacks because they refused to say 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.'"
“The only time blacks were put into ads was when they were athletic, subservient or entertainers,” Marilyn Kern Foxworth, the author of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben and Rastus: Blacks in Advertising Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, told the paper in a 2007 interview.
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