Uncle Ben’s, the popular rice brand, has changed its name in an apparent attempt to appease the radical social justice-obsessed left.
NBC News reported that Uncle Ben’s rice will henceforth be known as Ben’s Original.
This change was announced on Wednesday by the brand’s parent firm Mars Inc. They said that packaging with the new name will be in stores sometime next year.
Uncle Ben’s rice will now be called Ben’s Original, and new packaging with a new logo will hit stores next year. Parent company Mars Inc. is the latest to change its branding in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests over racial injustice. https://t.co/y2zDKpnmOx
— AP Business News (@APBusiness) September 23, 2020
Uncle Ben Changes Name
“We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society,” explained Fiona Dawson, global president for Mars Food, multisales and global customers.
“When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone. But it’s about doing the right thing, not the easy thing.”
Uncle Ben’s was launched in the 1940s, and was the bestselling rice in the United States for decades, according to BBC.
Its packaging has long featured the image of a smiling black man with gray hair.
In 1947, the company asked Frank Brown, the head waiter at a fancy Chicago restaurant, to pose as the face of the brand.
RELATED: Family Of The Real Aunt Jemima Launches Fight To Stop Rebranding
Uncle Ben’s Accused Of Racism
In recent years, however, Uncle Ben’s has been hit with accusations of racism.
Leftists have said that the terms “uncle” and “aunt” were used to refer to black people in the south in the place of the words “mister” and “miss.”
“We understand the inequities that were associated with the name and face of the previous brand, and as we announced in June, we have committed to change,” Mars said in a statement.
Yet more delusional woke guff as Mars claims changing Uncle Ben’s rice to Ben’s Original will “help put an end to racial injustices’ in wake of George Floyd killing
When will this crap ever end? ?https://t.co/AMxGVv7Low
— Martin Daubney (@MartinDaubney) September 23, 2020
On top of changing the name, Mars has pledged to work directly with the National Urban League in the United States to help black chefs by donating $2 million to scholarships.
The company has also promised to invest $2.5 million in Greenville, Mississippi, the city where the rice is made.
“The brand is not just changing its name and image on the package. It is also taking action to enhance inclusion and equity and setting out its new brand purpose to create opportunities that offer everyone a seat at the table,” Mars said.
RELATED: Now That Aunt Jemima Got Canceled, These Brands Might Be Next
Other Brands Have Changed Names As Well
This is just one of many brands that has catered to the leftwing outrage mobs over the past few months in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
In June, Quaker Oats announced that it would be dropping Aunt Jemima from its brands after liberals slammed the brand as “racist.”
They argued that the character’s origins were based on the “mammy,” a black woman who is happy to serve her white masters.
In June, Quaker Oats said it would change the branding of Aunt Jemima products, saying the brand’s origins ‘are based on a racial stereotype.’
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 23, 2020
Even the owner of Eskimo Pie has promised to change the brand name because it’s somehow “offensive” as well.
This politically correct nonsense has gone way too far, and it needs to end. If it doesn’t, there’s no telling what brand may be “cancelled” next.
However, it should be noted that not everyone is buying into the hysteria.
The family of the real life Aunt Jemima has launched an effort to stop the whitewashing of history.
Is there a point at which even the “social justice” obsessed population will have had enough? Time will tell.