When Love Comes to Town

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia
Proper 9, Year A
July 5, 2020
The Rev. John Taliaferro Thomas

In the 1940s and 50s, Quaker Oats hired a number of black women to portray Aunt Jemimah for their pancake mix brand.  The original Aunt Jemimah character was portrayed by a former slave, Nancy Green, and she represented the brand at the 1893 World’s Fair, receiving an award for her performances and creating lots of buzz.

The not so recent, but newly reactivated controversy over the stereotyped black servant woman has brought a number of stories to light.  I will leave the controversy for others to argue and litigate, but what captured my interest was an interview I heard on the radio with Michelle Norris, the former NPR reporter, whose grandmother, named Ione Brown, was a member of the Quaker Oats pancake promotional sales force that covered a territory of upper mid-western states just after World War II.  Norris did not learn of her grandmother’s work until more recently, but she has been able to search archival records and find some recordings of her grandmother on the road, promoting the Aunt Jemimah brand.

What she discovered is that a whole cast of black women were trained to play the character.  They were costumed as domestic servants, taught the old slave patois that Nancy Green affected for her performances.  Then, they were sent out to fairs and other solo appearances to do demonstrations for housewives on this “modern” convenience of having a pre-prepared mix.  The Quaker Oats company paid them well and covered all of their expenses, but insisted that they remain in character when in public.

Apparently, Ione Brown played the game, but did not necessarily follow all of the rules when out of sight from corporate management.  At the time, there were few if any hotels or boarding houses that would house blacks, therefore she had to stay in local black people’s homes.  In some communities, there were no black people and she had to leave town to find a place to stay for the night.  During the day, Ms. Brown played her role, singing gospel songs and making pancakes.  But in the evening, she welcomed groups of young black women, reciting poetry, reading to them, encouraging their education, and urging them to seek new and empowered roles in a changing society.

In an interview, Ms. Brown’s granddaughter says she understands why her grandmother did not tell her about her job with Quaker Oats.  She talks about the pain of being second class citizens and the grace of not wanting to wallow in pain of the past for the children of the future.  And then, she says this:

    “We're seeing a kind of activism in the streets right now where people are taking to the     streets and demanding rights and demanding that this country live up to its promise. But, sometimes, activism takes on a quieter tone. Sometimes, activism rolls into a small town and shows the people of that town what black elegance and black eloquence and black success can sound and look like even when they're not expecting that.”

This is such a beautiful articulation of the power gentleness and love can command.  While there are systemic tensions and needed collaboration, that Aunt Jemimah story tell of a faithfulness, gentleness, and hope for humanity that peace makers and peace bringers can provide.

The Bible is loaded with stories of folks, like Ms. Brown, who would not go along just to get along.  The Pharaoh’s daughter would not kill Moses even though he was a Hebrew baby.  Queen Esther prevailed upon her husband, the king, to avert mass killing of Jews.  Even Mary and Joseph risked public scorn and humiliation in living and telling the story of the divinely conceived son who comes to save all people.  These are the stories that fueled and inspired the work of the underground railroad, the Nazi resistance movement, and the struggle for human civil rights just seventy years ago in this country.

When we come to today’s gospel, we meet Jesus as he talks about the fickleness of the world and its favoritism of one group, one party, or another.  Jesus says they criticized John the Baptist for being too strange and aloof, and they criticize him for being too available and welcoming.  He goes on to say that wisdom is vindicated by her deeds – actions speak louder than words.  And then he closes with what we have come to call the comfortable words

    “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you     rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart,     and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Americans are more anxious and basically angrier than ever.  I am not sure how they measure that, but it seems pretty obvious.  There are many legitimate fears at play.  But in the end, Jesus reminds us that his love for us keeps things simpler and plainer than we make them through our grandiose machinations and perceptions of power and influence.


When I consider the great struggles and aches for change and growth, I return to the echo of a U2 song “When Love Comes to Town,” and I pray for what it may be when love to comes to our town, to our hearts, and in our simple, basic, and daily actions.

In the end, Ms. Brown made some money and brought love to town, working with what she had, even though she found the role of Aunt Jemimah demeaning and ignorantly stereotypical.  But in our minds eye, can we imagine what it must have been like for young women of color to find encouragement, grace, and love as she went about her subversive work for their good.  We may never know what seeds she planted, but she labored long to birth a new image with a new voice of empowerment.

In his subversive work, Jesus invites us to let go: to put down the anger, the frustration, and the hatred that weighs heavily on human hearts.  Instead he asks us to take on the mantle of love and the practice of forgiveness, allowing him to be our savior.  There are all kinds of activism, but in being people of God, we can never underestimate the power of gentle, persistent, and subversive love.  That is what will change the world, because that is what changes us.