bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Colgate-Palmolive on Thursday said it was working to review and evolve its Chinese toothpaste brand, Darlie, the latest in a string of brand reassessments amid a US debate on racism and racial inequality.
Darlie is a Chinese brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive and its joint venture partner Hawley & Hazel.
“For more than 35 years, we have been working together to evolve the brand, including substantial changes to the name, logo and packaging,” a Colgate-Palmolive spokesman told Reuters in an email.
“We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name,” he added.

I see we are discussing racist brands. May I present “Darkie Toothpaste” to non-Asian twitter: https://t.co/FBqPUJERFm pic.twitter.com/GH170Kpflt
— Black Lives Matter (@MangyAsianMan) June 17, 2020

Darlie is one of Asia’s bestselling toothpaste brands. Its package features a smiling man in a top hat.
It was originally called Darkie, with the logo being a grinning blackface minstrel. The name was changed in 1989 after Reuben Mark, then-CEO of Colgate, acknowledged the brand was racist.
Darlie’s name in Chinese translates to “black person toothpaste”.


Colgate-Palmolive’s move comes as other US companies deliberate measures to rebrand products that depict racial stereotypes amid protests over George Floyd’s killing.
On Wednesday, PepsiCo said it would change the name and brand image of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, which have been criticised.
The more than 130-year-old brand logo features an African-American woman named after a character in 19th-century minstrel shows and is rooted in a stereotype of a friendly black woman working as a servant or nanny for a white family.

Following Pepsico’s move, the makers of Uncle Ben’s rice, owned by Mars Inc; Mrs Butterworth’s syrup, owned by ConAgra Brands; and Cream of Wheat porridge, owned by B&G Foods; also said they would review their packaging.
The moves are part of Corporate America’s reckoning with the treatment of Black Americans amid weeks of protests over racism and police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
16 books to help you understand racism and white privilege
The Aunt Jemima brand had been called out in recent days on social media. A TikTok video called “How To Make A Non Racist Breakfast” by user @singkirbysing, in which a woman pours the pancake mix down the sink, has received 175,000 views on Instagram since being posted on Tuesday.
“We recognise Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice-president and chief marketing officer of PepsiCo-owned Quaker Foods North America, said in a statement.

Quaker did not announce a brand name or logo, but said packages without the Aunt Jemima image would appear in the fourth quarter of this year.
ConAgra said its packaging, meant to evoke a “loving grandmother”, could be interpreted “in a way that is wholly inconsistent with our values” and that it has “begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s”.
Darlie: from blackface branding to East Asia’s favourite toothpaste
Mars said it had “a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices” and that “one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity”.
“We don’t yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities,” a spokeswoman said about the brand, known for its white-haired African-American man named after a Texas rice farmer.
B&G Foods said it was initiating an immediate review of its Cream of Wheat Brand, which features a black man in a chef’s hat.

Some observers lauded the moves, but said they were slow to come.
“Brands built on racist imagery have been living on borrowed time,” said James O’Rourke, management professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. “This move by Quaker Oats, while welcome, is decades late in coming.”
PepsiCo on Tuesday announced a set of initiatives worth more than US$400 million over five years to support black communities and boost black representation at PepsiCo.


Meet Senator Tom Cotton, who could be Donald Trump’s VP: he’s decried pro-Palestine protesters, called for military suppression of Black Lives Matter, and flown a flag associated with Capitol riots

Texas governor pardons man convicted of murdering Black Lives Matter protester

Inmate stabbed George Floyd’s killer Derek Chauvin 22 times with improvised knife

Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted of killing George Floyd, stabbed in jail

George Floyd protests

Colgate reviews Chinese toothpaste brand Darlie amid US racism debate

Darlie’s Chinese name translates to “black person toothpaste”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Boxes of Aunt Jemima pancake mix are seen on a store shelf on June 17, 2020 in Washington,DC. - The Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix will get a new name and image, Quaker Oats announced on June 17, 2020, saying that the company recognizes that "Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype." The 130-year-old brand features a Black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a minstrel character. Quaker, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, said removing the image and name is part of an effort by the company “to make progress toward racial equality.” (Photo by Eva HAMBACH / AFP)

Bags of Uncle Ben's rice are seen on a store shelf on June 17, 2020 in Washington,DC. - Amid nationwide protests against racism, major US food companies on June 17, 2020 said they would change the Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's brands, both of which feature African American mascots. The United States has a long history of racist caricatures of African Americans and other minorities across popular culture, though in recent decades those images have become increasingly taboo.Businesses across the world's largest economy are facing a reckoning over branding following last month's killing of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, which sparking many protests against racism. (Photo by Eva HAMBACH / AFP)

A 1940's print ad for Aunt Jemima branded products is seen on June 17, 2020, the day that PepsiCo Inc announced it will change the name and brand image of its Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup. Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

How Darkie, now Darlie, became East Asia’s favourite toothpaste despite its blackface branding

Vintage Darkie ads

China billboard for Darkie, 1948

EC86W0 Still from the film 'The Jazz Singer' an American musical film. Starring Al Johnson (1886-1950). Dated 1927. Image shot 1927. Exact date unknown.

HP39E6 "Darkie Tooth Paste" sold in China and other Asian countries since the early 1930s. This is the original packaging design. In the 1980s, Western public opinion caused Colgate-Palmolive to modify the man in the logo and the change the tooth paste's name slightly, to "Darlie" Tooth Paste. (see more in Description area)

The packaging of Darlie toothpaste has changed over the years to reflect public opinion. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Go back to China’: New Zealand woman yells at Asian dad in racist tirade

Downtown Auckland.

Statue of British Naval Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton is lifted out of the ground and onto a truck in Hamilton, New Zealand, June 12, 2020. TVNZ via REUTERS TV ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NEW ZEALAND OUT. AUSTRALIA OUT. Broadcasters: NO USE NEW ZEALAND Digital: NO USE NEW ZEALAND INTERNET SITES / ANY INTERNET SITE OF ANY NEW ZEALAND OR AUSTRALIA BASED MEDIA ORGANISATIONS OR MOBILE PLATFORMS

Downtown Auckland. Photo: Shutterstock

‘You Chinese virus spreader’: after coronavirus, Australia has an anti-Asian racism outbreak to deal with

The attack on the Do sisters was caught on camera.

The Do sisters. Photo: Handout

Greg Barns. Photo: Handout

Tim Soutphommasane. Photo: Handout

Chin Tan. Photo: Handout

Why the biggest barrier to overcoming racism is ‘white fragility’

A screen grab from a viral video of the confrontation between Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper (no relation) in New York’s Central Park. She stated that she wasn’t racist in her public apology after the incident.

This still image taken from a May 25, 2020, video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer arresting George Floyd. - "The four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's death have been fired," Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey, said on Twitter on May 26, saying "it was the right decision. Witnesses say Floyd repeatedly tell the officers, ìI cannot breathe!î after being pinned to the ground by an officer with his knee on Floyd's neck. (Photo by Darnella Frazier / Facebook/Darnella Frazier / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Facebook / Darnella Frazier" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Black Lives Matter Protest near DC

Black Lives Matter Protest in Barcelona

White Privilege cover

16 books on racism, discrimination and white privilege you should read, from history of oppression to everyday microaggressions

A man and a woman hold hands during a Black Lives Matter protest in London following the death of George Floyd. Photo: Reuters

The Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon

So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo

White Rage, by Carol Anderson

How to Be Less Stupid About Race, by Crystal Fleming

Black Wealth/White Wealth, by Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro

The Ethnic Project, by Vilna Bashi Treitler

White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo

Black Americans, by Alphonso Pinkney

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other black Americans in recent months, here are 16 books on race, white privilege and discrimination that you should read. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

East Asia

Southeast Asia

World

United States & Canada


Darlie, one of the bestselling toothpaste brands in Asia, has its roots deeply embedded in blackface
It is among a range of brands being reviewed in the US, where debates over racism have been sparked by the killing of Black American man George Floyd



Darlie, one of the bestselling toothpaste brands in Asia, has its roots deeply embedded in blackface.


Racism and other prejudice

United States

Human rights

Wellness

Colgate reviews Chinese toothpaste brand Darlie amid US racism debate

Darlie, one of the bestselling toothpaste brands in Asia, has its roots deeply embedded in blackface It is among a range of brands being reviewed in the US, where debates over racism have been sparked by the killing of Black American man George Floyd

Darlie, one of the bestselling toothpaste brands in Asia, has its roots deeply embedded in blackface

It is among a range of brands being reviewed in the US, where debates over racism have been sparked by the killing of Black American man George Floyd