Companies don't care about equal rights

Drew Mattson - Senior | Opinions

On Feb. 9, Quaker Oats removed “Aunt Jemima” from its branding. Quaker Oats faced backlash in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests concerning the name of its pancake brand, and changed the title to Pearl Milling Company. After the murder of George Floyd, Quaker Oats vowed to remove all imagery of Aunt Jemima, in order to “make progress toward racial equality.”

But is this title change actually effective? After all, demands from BLM protestors include ending systemic racism, eliminating police brutality, and eradicating white supremacy. Is removing the Aunt Jemima branding helpful to anyone?

On Jul. 3, 2020, the Cleveland Indians announced they were changing their name in response to a desire for social justice, and the Washington Redskins changed their name soon after. Land O’Lakes removed the Native American woman from their packaging. L’Oreal removes the term “whitening” from all of its skincare products. But shockingly, racism is still around.

Proponents of brand edits say that changing or removing racial stereotypes is a step in the right direction, and helps us move forward. Couldn’t these companies that dedicate massive funding towards brand edits better use their money towards supporting legislative changes? Are Black Lives Matter protestors really asking for the removal of the word “white?”

The truth is, companies are not your friend. A company is run simply to make money, and if changing their title from the Redskins to the Washington Football Team makes profit, know that that title will be changed. PepsiCo doesn’t care about racial inequality. Land O’Lakes doesn’t care about stereotyping.

To all those who stand up for what is right, to those who protest, to those who donate to end injustice, know that unlike companies simply in it for the money, you are doing what is right.