Earlier this year, celebrated recording artist and entrepreneur Master P launched a new food brand to replace brands that use Black imagery but don’t give back to the Black community.
“When you look at Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, a lot of those products are mockeries of African-American people and couldn’t even feed our communities,” P told CNN.
“With Uncle P, the more we make, the more we give. And the only way to give is by owning these products.”
The new company, Uncle P’s, produces a variety of food products including pancake mix, beans, rice, grits, oatmeal, syrup and more.
Uncle P’s Louisiana Seasoned White Rice
Along with being a Black-owned replacement to other brands, Uncle P’as has big plans to give back to the community. A portion of the company’s profits will go towards educating inner city kids and assisting elderly people in Black communities across the United States. The company is also looking to create “more jobs with upward mobility,” as P explained. Adding that some of the proceeds are expected to be used towards developing real estate in Black neighbourhoods.
“Right now we’re burning down our blocks and our communities while protesting injustice, but if we are able to own products and put money back in our community, we could buy those blocks back instead of burning them down. If they made billions of dollars off Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, imagine how much we’ll make to give back to our own community. It’ll be us helping us without having to wait for the government. We can actually change the world.”
The new line was created in partnership with the popular brand Rap Snacks, founded by James Lindsay. It’s unclear what their plans for the Canadian market are at this time but you can find them in grocery stores across the US.
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