Eskimo Pie Is De-Shelling Its ‘Derogatory’ Name To Melt Away Racist Connotation
Image via Shutterstock
Eskimo Pie, the first brand to bring vanilla ice cream bars with chocolate shells to the United States, is shedding off its name after almost 100 years.
The announcement follows recent plans by food giants like Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, and Mrs. Butterworth’s to rebrand in a bid to end racism by removing stereotypes they have been perpetuating for years.
Elizabell Marquez, head of marketing for Eskimo Pie producer Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, told CNN that the move is part of its mission to promote racial equality. “[We] recognize the [Eskimo] term is derogatory,” she added.
Per the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska, the “Eskimo” term, which is typically used in Alaska in reference to Inuit and Yupik people, is “considered derogatory in many places” as the name was believed to have been coined by non-Inuits to mean “eater of raw meat.”
However, some linguists now deduce that the name “Eskimo” might have been drawn from an Ojibwa word that translates to “to net snowshoes.”
First Aunt Jemima, then Uncle Ben, now Eskimo Pies. It not okay to appropriate POC pic.twitter.com/ToA5rsg9LW
— NoBidenNoTrump#3rdParty (@LilyMayGracie) June 17, 2020
[via CNN Business, cover image via Shutterstock]
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