Rosie Lee Moore Hall (June 22, 1899 - February 12, 1967) was the African-American woman first chosen to represent the character "Aunt Jemima" for the Quaker Oats Company. She was chosen for the image while working in the advertising department at Quaker Oats in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After twenty-five years, Quaker Oats changed the representative for Aunt Jemima pancake mix to a more modern black woman still known as Aunt Jemima.[1]

Hall was born in Hearne in Robertson County, Texas, to George W. Moore (1873-1934) and Julia T. Moore (1877-1950). She had at least three siblings and was married to Travis Hall. She died in Oklahoma City at the age of sixty-seven and is interred at Hammond Colony Cemetery in her native Robertson County.[1]

In the aftermath of the George Floyd case in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Quaker Oats in June 2020 announced that its syrup bottles and pancake boxes will be rebranded and redesigned. The company said that ""Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype." Quaker bowed to political correctness pressure from irate liberals on social media who have been critical of the use of the Aunt Jemima logo.[2]

Another Aunt Jemima was Lillian Richard of Hawkins in Wood County, Texas. Family spokeswoman Vera Harris of Forney in Kaufman County, Texas, blasted the forthcoming removal of the Aunt Jemima brand from supermarkets: “A lot of people want it removed. We want the world to know that our cousin Lillian was one of the Aunt Jemimas and she made an honest living. We would ask that you reconsider just wiping all that away. There wasn’t a lot of jobs, especially for black women back in that time. She was discovered by Quaker Oats to be their brand person."[3]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rosie Lee Moore Hall. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2020.
2. ↑ Caitlyn O'Kane. Aunt Jemima to change name and image due to origins based on a racial stereotype. CBS News.
3. ↑ Bob Hallmark (June 19, 2020). Family of woman who portrayed Aunt Jemima opposes move to change brand. NBC Channel 12 (Tyler, Texas). Retrieved on June 24, 2020.