No evidence former slave who helped launch Aunt Jemima products became a millionaire

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, Georgia Public Broadcasting

The link is a mess. You can get there, but you'll have to take a few extra steps.

https://apnews.com/afs:Content 030960288

Fact-checking

No evidence former slave who helped launch Aunt Jemima products became a millionaire

By BEATRICE DUPUY
June 19, 2020

CLAIM: “Nancy Green (aka Aunt Jemima) was born into slavery. She was a magnificent cook. When she was ‘freed’ she rolled her talent into a cooking brand that General Mills bought & used her likeness. She died in 1923 as one of America’s first black millionaires.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no evidence that Green’s portrayal as Aunt Jemima made her into a millionaire.

THE FACTS: After Quaker Oats announced Wednesday that it would retire the Aunt Jemima brand, known for its pancake mixes, posts online began circulating a false tale about the first woman who portrayed Aunt Jemima.

{snip}

However, there is no evidence that Nancy Green shared in any of the profits from the company that sold the pancake mix, said Patricia A. Turner, professor of African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author.

{snip}

[marble falls]

1. More from Wiki ...

After the Expo, Green was reportedly offered a lifetime contract to adopt the Aunt Jemima moniker and promote the pancake mix; however it is likely this was part of the lore created for the character rather than Green herself.[12] This marked the beginning of a major promotional push by the company that included thousands of personal appearances and Aunt Jemima merchandising. She appeared at country fairs, flea markets, food shows, and local grocery stores, her arrival heralded by large billboards featuring the caption, "I'se in town, honey."[8][11]

In 1910, at 76, despite her "lifetime contract," Green was still working as a residential "housekeeper" until her death in 1923.[6][12] Green lived with nieces and nephews in Fuller Park and Grand Boulevard into her old age.[6] At the time of her death, Green had already lost her husband and children, and was living with her great nephew and his wife.[13]
Religion and advocacy



She used her stature as a spokesperson to advocate against poverty and in favor of equal rights for individuals in Chicago.[3][15]
Death

Green died on August 30, 1923, in Chicago, when a car collided with a laundry truck and flipped over onto the sidewalk where she was standing.[1][6][7] She is buried in the northeast quadrant of Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.[1] Her grave was unmarked and unknown until 2015.[6] Sherrie Williams, founder of the Bronzeville Historical Society, spent 15 years uncovering Green's resting place.[13] Williams received approval to place a headstone in March, 2020, and is fundraising for the stone. Williams reached out to Quaker Oats about whether they would support a monument for Green’s grave. "Their corporate response was that Nancy Green and Aunt Jemima aren’t the same — that Aunt Jemima is a fictitious character."[13]
Lawsuit

In 2014, a lawsuit was filed against PepsiCo claiming that Green and Anna S. Harrington—the black woman who portrayed the character of Aunt Jemima starting in 1935—were exploited by the company and cheated out of the monetary compensation they were promised. The plaintiffs were two of Harrington's great-grandsons, and they sought a 2 billion dollar settlement for descendants of Green and Harrington.[16] The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice and without leave to amend on February 18, 2015.[17]

[Karadeniz]

2. Very sad...time to stop taking advantage.