Oral History
Meals As Collective Memory 2021
Meals as Collected Memory 2021 is dedicated to Lloyd Porter of BreadLove and BreadStuy
Cultural identity is reflected in the food we eat and where we eat it.
As we commemorate Juneteenth 2021, Meals as Collective Memory celebrates Black foodways in Central Brooklyn and throughout the African Diaspora.
Meals as Collective Memory – launched in 2019 as a partnership between Weeksville Heritage Center and the NYC Commission on Human Rights – began as an oral history project aimed at capturing the memory-making utility of food and foodways while archiving the social/culinary history behind Black-owned restaurants in Central Brooklyn. Since that time, the Covid-19 pandemic has completely shifted Black foodways in our community, forcing restaurateurs to rethink their business models, expand or restrict offerings, and in some cases even close their businesses.
Food justice is a critical institutional focus at Weeksville, and this year, Meals as Collective Memory continues to investigate, celebrate, and document Black food culture with an eye toward the pandemic-related challenges and opportunities of this past year. We've added new voices to our oral history collection, checked in with restaurateurs from 2019, and gathered change agents and memory keepers from within our local food industry for a day of exciting programming.
Lloyd Porter, of Bread Love & Bread Stuy
HEAR THE VOICES OF LOCAL RESTAURATEURS AND CHEFS OF CENTRAL BROOKLYN
2021 SCHEDULE
12:30 – 1:00pm
Family Dinner w: Honeysuckle Projects
There is nothing like gathering around the table on Sundays with the people you love. With Omar Tate of Honeysuckle Projects as your guide, you will whip up a meal that’ll have your family – blood and chosen – packing plates!
1:00 – 2:15pm
Feeding Black Brooklyn
A sizable portion of Central Brooklyn exists within a food desert and the impact of Covid-19 grossly exacerbated this issue. In response, we've seen a rise in mutual aid in the form of community fridges. This type of collective communal support is intrinsic to Weeksville’s story and we are delighted to amplify the current work of Azikiwe Muhammad and Playground Coffee Shop.
2:15 – 2:45pm
The Taste of Liberation with Lakou Cafe
This year marks the 230th anniversary of the revolt that led to Haiti’s freedom. Weeksville’s neighbor Lakou Cafe will teach us how to make dishes that are perfect for July 5th, Independence Day for Black New Yorkers.
2:45 – 3pm
Meals As Collective Memory 2021 Oral History Slide Show
Weeksville’s Oral History Manager, Obden Mondésir, will present a slideshow of photos and clips from the oral histories collected as a part of the Meals As Collective Memory project.
3 – 3:45pm
High on the Hog with Dr Jessica Harris & Tonya Hopkins
Tonya Hopkins returns to Meals As Collective Memory in conversation with fellow food historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris. whose book, High on the Hog, has recently been adapted into a hit Netflix series. Dr. Harris will explore Black foodways from every corner of the diaspora.
COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS
A conversation from the 2020 The Legacy Project's "Sensing History" program
Black Foodways: Across time zones, borders, and distance, we can still break bread...even if it’s through our screens. Chef Omar Tate of Honeysuckle Projects has created a historical and culturally relevant menu, and will lead a cooking demo online, for participants to prepare at home. As COVID-19 has further exacerbated food insecurity within the Weeksville community, Meals As Collective Memory has organized an initiative offering neighbors gift cards to a local grocery store, and the opportunity to share familial stories around food as a part of WHC’s MACM oral history collection. Our virtual dinner table hosted by Chef Tate, Obden Mondésir and Stephanye Watts of MACM, and Chef Therese Nelson, the founder of Black Culinary History, will serve as our closing gathering while we enjoy our meals together.
