Anna Short Harrington facts for kids
Anna Short Harrington (1897 – 1955) was an American model. She was one of several African-American women chosen to promote a well-known brand called "Aunt Jemima".
Her Life Story
Anna Short was born in 1897. Her family lived in the Wallace area of Marlboro County, South Carolina. They were sharecroppers, meaning they farmed land owned by others and shared the crops.
She grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Anna had three daughters and two sons. Her husband, Weldon Harrington, left the family after 10 years of marriage.
In 1927, Anna moved north to Nedrow, New York. She worked there as a maid for a family. A year later, her five children joined her in Syracuse, New York.
Harrington cooked for different college houses at Syracuse University. In 1935, the Quaker Oats company discovered her. They saw her cooking delicious pancakes at the New York State Fair near Syracuse.
An advertisement in November 1935 highlighted her Southern accent. It said, "Let ol' Auntie sing in yo' kitchen." Her South Carolina accent was part of what made her popular for the brand.
Her last public appearance was in 1954 at the Post-Standard Home Show. Anna Short Harrington passed away in Syracuse in 1955. She was 58 years old and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery.
She earned enough money to buy a large house in Syracuse. This house was later taken down in the 1960s to build Interstate 81.
Lawsuit and Legacy
On August 5, 2014, some of Anna Short Harrington's family members filed a lawsuit. They sued Quaker Oats and PepsiCo, along with other companies. The lawsuit claimed that the companies did not fairly pay Harrington or her family for using her image and recipes.
The family asked for a large amount of money. However, the lawsuit was dismissed on February 18, 2015. This means the court decided not to continue with the case.
See Also
In Spanish: Anna Short Harrington para niños
