What happened
For decades Mars sold rice under the Uncle Ben’s name with packaging that featured a white-haired Black man. Associated Press reported that critics said the image evoked servitude, and that Mars said the face was modeled on Chicago maître d’ Frank Brown. In summer 2020, after nationwide racial-justice protests, Mars said the brand would “evolve.”
On September 23, 2020, Mars Food announced the line would become Ben’s Original, that it would remove the prior image for “more equitable iconography,” and that it was resetting brand purpose around giving everyone a seat at the table. AP covered the rename as one of several companies dropping logos criticized as racial stereotypes. Those are company statements and press accounts, not a court finding that the old logo was unlawful.
What happened: Seat at the Table scholarships
On December 17, 2020, Ben’s Original launched the Seat at the Table Fund. Mars said the first U.S. phase partnered with the National Urban League and UNCF to support Black students in food science and culinary programs, with $2 million allocated over five years. Black Enterprise reported the same scholarship frame. That is a company-announced grant program tied to the rebrand.
The Cookout read
Mixed. Keeping a Black-servant rice mascot on shelves for generations is why this file exists; retiring it after 2020 pressure is a dated company act, not erasure of the history. Seat at the Table is a scholarship pledge—label it as such, and do not invent a DOJ finding.