Who's Your Mammy?: Figuring Aunt Jemmima
Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
In existence for over a century, the advertising icon Aunt Jemima remains a point of contention for many African Americans, despite a recent makeover that attempted to remove visual signifiers of slavery. To understand the icon's negativity, I explore its roots in slavery,the minstrel stage and The Exhibition of the Other. I then move to an analysis of *The Legend of Aunt Jemima,* a series of advertisements produced in the 1920s, to determine how racism was manifested in the icon*s promotional materials.
Location
University of the Pacific, Classroom Building
Start Date
5-5-2007 9:00 AM
End Date
5-5-2007 12:30 PM
Who's Your Mammy?: Figuring Aunt Jemmima
University of the Pacific, Classroom Building
In existence for over a century, the advertising icon Aunt Jemima remains a point of contention for many African Americans, despite a recent makeover that attempted to remove visual signifiers of slavery. To understand the icon's negativity, I explore its roots in slavery,the minstrel stage and The Exhibition of the Other. I then move to an analysis of *The Legend of Aunt Jemima,* a series of advertisements produced in the 1920s, to determine how racism was manifested in the icon*s promotional materials.