Aunt Jemima Is Gone. Can We Finally End All Racist Branding?

Three years ago, the Supreme Court handed an Asian rock band named the Slants an unimaginable win when it proclaimed, in Matal v. Tam, that it was unconstitutional for the law to ban trademarks that were “disparaging.” In celebrating the band’s victory, the lead singer Simon Tam declared the case “a win for all marginalized groups,” asserting: “It can’t be a win for free speech if some people benefit and others don’t.”

Despite his optimism for free speech, Mr. Tam could not have been more wrong about the meaning of...