Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

Article Title

Instant Racism

Authors

Vickie R. Phipps, University of TennesseeFollow

Abstract

Ubiquitous messages are, by definition, everywhere and therefore familiar to us. Due to the nature of attention, the familiar often gets past critical filters because it feels so comfortable. After all, there is nothing different or alarming about the familiar. I am interested in the powerful ability of graphic design to reframe the ubiquitous because once we see something differently, we never see it the same again.

I was inspired to create this work after reading Clinging to Mammy: The Faithful Slave in Twentieth-Century America in which author Micki McElya critically examines the image of Aunt Jemima in the American imagination. It is my wish to disrupt the contemporary viewer’s concept of the pancake box and invite a critical reading of the imagery because the package design originated from a legacy of slavery, but still sits on store shelves today.

Recommended Citation

Phipps, Vickie R. (2011) "Instant Racism," Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.

Available at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/catalyst/vol1/iss1/4