FOOD IS POLITICAL: SUPPORTING THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
Puerto Rico and its culture has deep, foundational roots with both African and Indigenous cultures, most notably because of the Spanish colonization on the island and the enslavement of native Taínos and the Africans brought for forced labor on sugar plantations. Unfortunately, Puerto Rico and the majority of other Latin cultures within the diaspora have a lot of work to do to unpack racism, prejudice, and colorism within their own communities.
Food is political. Food culture is political. Foodways are political. Food has never been separated from Black and Latinx cultures and it plays such a vital role in preserving our ancestry, backgrounds, livelihoods, and our futures. From the stolen land this country was founded on to the meals that were cooked and prepared by enslaved Black people for hundreds of years. We’re all connected by it.
Lula stands near her burén in Loíza, an epicenter of Afro-Boricua culture in Puerto Rico.
Part of Lula’s burén and kitchen space in the back of her restaurant. A burén is a flat cooking top placed above a fire that was originally used by the indigenous Antillean people.
Pilóns of all sizes in Guavate, Puerto Rico. These wooden mortar and pestles are traditionally used to grind up herbs, spices, and vegetables such as plantain. These were introduced to the native Taínos by enslaved Africans.
To the television networks, magazines, editorial teams, leadership positions, and test kitchens in food media that are void of non-white faces. To the unseen and unheard voices of the people that actually grow, cultivate, cook, and prepare your food on the farms and in the kitchens. To the celebrity chefs that don’t actively use their privilege, power, and large platforms to uplift the employees and the communities that they build their food empires on. We see you. And it has to change.
Because of that, this space is for continuously sharing resources on how to help organizations and individuals that need a signal boost in the hard work that they are doing. Don’t be silent. Don’t be complicit. If you know of any other reputable organizations or people that need to be shared, please email me directly at info@sofritoproject.com and I will make sure to add it to the growing list below. Pa’lante! ✊🏽
The famous flag door on Calle San Jose in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2015. This spot is a common tourist destination in the city for people to snap photos and share their visit with others.
The same door, in 2016. The flag was painted black and white by artists to stand in solidarity with island revolutionaries against United States’ colonialism and oppression of Puerto Rican people.
Organizations and Individuals to Support
Note that this is a small yet ongoing list, so if any links no longer work, please let me know and I’ll update and/or remove them as needed.
Black Lives Matter Resources List created by Mission Humanity.
Standing United: The Fight Against Inequality is a downloadable virtual card deck created by my friend and Technical Program Manager for Google, Jenae Butler. She’s the only Black woman on her team and shared this for those in the corporate world who need a little assistance with speaking out about injustices and navigating white spaces in the workplace during trauma-inducing times. When she’s not being a total bad-ass in the tech world, Jenae is one-third of the Cap Culture podcast group where they discuss the intersection of Black culture and technology.
Equity At The Table is an online directory created by Julia Turshen and made to serve as a database for women/gender-nonconforming people that focuses on the POC and LGBTQ community. With their newsletter, they share networking, job opportunities, and resources to their members while serving as an actual community to those that are often discriminated or pushed out in the culinary industry. Amplify their voices!
Eat, Drink, Share Puerto Rico is a beautiful documentary series directed and produced by Rafael N. Ruiz Mederos of LaMafiaPR that showcases the traditional gastronomy and culinary work of Puerto Rico. A lot of these traditional cooking methods are based on African and indigenous Taíno practices and have shaped Puerto Rican cuisine to this day. One of my favorite episodes features El Burén de Lula in Loíza, one of the epicenters of Afro-Boricua people and heritage on the island. I had the pleasure of meeting Lula and eating her food on my last visit home before Hurricane María devastated the island.
For The Culture is a magazine dedicated to celebrating Black women in food and wine. Created by Klancy Miller, cookbook author of Cooking Solo. Klancy is a light in this industry and uses her platform to showcase Black women and people of color on a constant basis.
Whetstone Magazine is a seasonal print journal that focuses on global food culture and origins. They are the ONLY Black-owned food publication in print in the United States. Wild, right? Founded by Stephen Satterfield, a social entrepreneur and sommelier. Whetstone Magazine has grown to be a prolific voice on food origins and cultures around the world. According to their website, their mission is “championing food to expand human empathy.”
Lowcountry Street Grocery is a mission-driven mobile farmers market. Their bus travels to areas in Charleston that are impacted by food deserts and inequity to provide fresh, local, and healthy foods to those in need. Currently, they’ve been providing affordable delivery CSA boxes to community members heavily impacted by Covid-19. The work they do is priceless in this community.
Fresh Future Farm is an urban farm run by Germaine Jenkins in the North Charleston area of the city. According to their site, “FFF is a Black-led nonprofit that disrupts food apartheid (access without control) while building the community.” The farm is staffed by residents and provides fresh food and groceries to surrounding areas and food deserts in Charleston. Unfortunately because of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the farm has closed to visitors but they’ve been delivering groceries and fresh produce to the Chicora/Cherokee community and have also have created both free and fee-based online learning in support of the farm.