Black Foodways and Culture: The History, Resistance, and Future of Food

Podcast Description: Black foodways are more than cuisine—they’re culture, resistance, and history. In this episode, we explore how food has shaped Black identity across generations and why it still matters today.

From the role of food in the civil rights movement to the ongoing fight for food justice and cultural recognition, this conversation breaks down how Black food traditions have survived, evolved, and are now being reclaimed. Whether you're interested in food history, culture, or social impact, this episode offers a deeper understanding of how what we eat connects to who we are.

Chef Amethyst Ganaway: Website: Instagram: @thizzg Facebook: @chefamethyst Alison Hall Kibbe: Assistant Professor of African American Studies, College of Charleston Website: Suggested readings on Black Foodways: Cooking the Gullah Way Morning, Noon, & Night and Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way, by Sallie Ann Robinson. If I Can Cook/You Know God Can by Ntozake Shange.

Vibration Cooking: or The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. The Avery Research Center three-day symposium: “Those Who Have Must Turn Around and Give: Celebrating Forty Years of Preserving Black History and Education” focused on Black education and the preservation of Black History through archives and community engagement, at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.

The symposium registration link is provided in our Show Notes. Dr.

Conseula Francis Reading Circle Celebration with Susana M. Morris, author of "Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E.

Butler April 16, 2026 Zoom link Echoes of the Ancestors: African Spirituality in the Diaspora Streaming live on the Avery Research Center YouTube Channel and in person Time Stamps / Chapters: 00:12:19 – Food as resistance and cultural survival 00:13:00 – Preserving Black culture through foodways 00:13:25 – Food in civil rights and Black Power movements 00:14:00 – Why food reveals hidden cultural contributions 00:15:21 – The future of Black foodways 00:16:30 – Reclaiming Black food culture today 00:17:27 – Misconceptions about Black Southern food 00:18:35 – Black agriculture and land access challenges 00:20:01 – What makes a “decent meal” 00:21:00 – Essential seasonings every kitchen needs 00:22:34 – Influential chefs, scholars, and writers 00:25:32 – Upcoming cookbook and food projects 00:27:30 – Closing thoughts and announcements