Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima?
Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima? is an acrylic on canvas narrative quilt made by American artist Faith Ringgold in 1983. Named for the Edward Albee play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the character Aunt Jemima, the work is Ringgold's first story quilt and marks the early stages of the artist's shift from oil painting to quilting. Description Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima? is a quilt work made with acrylic paint and consists of 56 square panels, bordered by patterned fabric. 28 panels contain paintings of people, 18 panels contain designs of patterned fabric, and 10 panels contain text, including the center panel which contains the title of the work. The text in the work tells the life story of a fictional Black woman from New Orleans named Jemima Blakey and her descendants and their families. Ringgold based the story on the lives of her aunts and named the character after the blackface minstrel show character and longtime pancake syrup brand mascot Aunt Jemima. The story of Jemima Blakey's life as a business owner, independent thinker, and strong matriarch is in distinct contrast to the Aunt Jemima character, "the most maligned Black female stereotype." The text includes numerous references to