Earlier this year, Uncle Ben’s announced that they were rebranding due to the fear factor that the black man on their box may be perceived as racist.
They have since launched a widespread social media campaign depicting their changed brand.
Since 1937, the Uncle Ben’s rice boxes have featured a white-haired black man, sometimes with a bow tie, an image critics say evokes “servitude”. Mars, the brands owner previously stated the black man’s face was originally modelled after a Chicago Restaurant maitre d’ named Frank Brown.
Now in the wake of wokeness and BLM, MARS has decided to drop the Blackman image and famous “Uncle Ben’s name from their range of products.
The news brand will now be called Ben’s Original and marks the first ever change of the name and logo in nearly 70 years.
Accorded to Mashed, Mars is also donating to causes intended to improve the lives of Black people. The company is giving $2 million to a scholarship fund for Black chefs, and it is contributing another $2.5 million to support education and food access in Greenville, Mississippi, where Mars makes its products. Eighty percent of the city’s population is Black.
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