The woman who was originally featured on the Aunt Jemima syrup bottle was Nancy Green.
She was an African-American woman born into slavery in 1834 and later became the first face of the “Aunt Jemima” brand in the late 1800s. She was promoted as a “kindly Southern mammy,” a stereotype that many found offensive and rooted in racism.
Due to growing criticism over the years, Quaker Oats (the company behind the brand) announced in 2020 that they would remove the Aunt Jemima name and image, rebranding the product as Pearl Milling Company in 2021.