Selling Black Identity

I really wanted to expand the talk we had on Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben because its a disgusting example of the subjugation of black bodies Its very difficult for (non-Black) people today to conceptualize just how ingrained racism is in our US culture. It is implanted into every single aspect of our culture, as racial capitalism necessitates. While we were talking as a class about the depiction of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, I wanted to present an organized arrangement of the impact of these stereotypes as degrading ad infantilizing. The companies of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben targeted Whites as “Nieces” and “Nephews”, playing off the racialized relationship slavery built surrounding anti-Blackness. These figures are supposed to be comforting to White people. Even though White America was experiencing a great deal of fear regarding the potential power gains Black communities were making and resented every stride they made, Black people had raised much of the White population. Just because slavery was over doesn’t mean that the relationship of subservience was in any way diminished, it just evolved. Childhoods of White adults were dependent upon Black caregivers who remained subservient. Images of Black caregivers were especially present surrounding meals like breakfast because they were the ones serving it. As such, Aunt Jemima was the perfect image of a Black caregiver happily serving Whites their flapjacks while remaining a non-threatening presence in daily American life. Uncle Ben is very similar: a jovially subservient Black man to serve your rice. This imagery worked to both remind White America of their power over Black people and the proper “place” for Black workers. This also goes beyond just food. Black servitude cultured an environment for marketing household appliances and cleaning products. In this way, Black people continued to be associated with chores, work-life, and subservience. Another key aspect of this was the infantilization of Black people. The marketing mechanisms never showed them in positions of power. Always in the same role, they became caricatured to sell just about everything. White America continues to profit from the infantilized, subjugated images of Blacks, from Disney’s Uncle Remus to soap commercials advocating for the cleansing of Black skin to turn Whiter. And this continues today.

Additionally, the sexualization of black bodies is another form of subjugation, of confining blackness to a single existence. After slavery "ended", figures depicting black women as lewd and shapely rose as common household objects. These dolls, china figurines, and images persist today as elements of blackness are sexualized in media and popular culture. The infatuation what society has with the subjugation of the black body serves to maintain racial hierarchy and contributes to the  dangers black women face in the US. While their cisgender counterparts are often at risk for domestic abuse, public violence, and discrimination, black transgender women have the highest rates of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in the US. Black transgender women are seen as unworthy "tr*ps" (yes, it's a slur. No, you can't say it if you're not a transfemme person), not fully belonging anywhere unless their sexuality is being exploited.