Aunt Jemima and Race in 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...

The big broom of history has been clearing out the rubble this month, furiously sweeping away at some of the most enduring racist symbols still in American stores and restaurants.

►The Aunt Jemima pancake mix brand got brushed into the dustbin after 131 years when its owner, Quaker Oats, acknowledged it was based on a racial stereotype.

►Sambo’s restaurant in Santa Barbara, California, the last store in a chain that started in 1957, dropped its name after being pressured to account for the racist history behind it.

►Uncle Ben’s rice,...