Leave Gabby Alone!

I've been very excited about the Olympic this year. So of course I have been very proud of America's female Olympic team, especially Gabrielle Douglas. The 16-year old from Virginia Beach twisted, tumbled, flipped and twirled her way to win a gold medal yesterday.

Apparently the journey has presented plenty of challenges to young Gabby. She injured her hamstring and consequently fell a few times during the U.S. nationals. But with hard work, including practicing six to seven times a day, she was able to travel with the United States and join the Olympic team this year.

But what are people focusing on? Her hair. No seriously. My friend informed me that her hair was a target of controversy in the past two days. Apparently people-mostly black women- were annoyed that her hair was not presentable and even embarrassing her fellow black people. Thankfully there were sensible, respectful people who defended her and retorted, "She just won a gold medal! What the hell is your problem?!"

This blog is about mental health with a focus on the black community. At first it may appear as if this post is off topic but I told my friend I had to blog about this story in particular. It is because I was Gabby, in fact we all were. Words, that is our interactions with people affect our emotional well being. Women, especially black women, are held to ridiculously high beauty standards. Even worse, we harshly scrutinize other women's appearances, further contributing to the oppressive treatment of women. This is one of the causes of the cycle of low self-esteem that plagues our community.

We were all sixteen once. And when I was sixteen, I was fragile, impressionable and sensitive. Gabby is only sixteen and she is a public figure. She's not an entertainer like Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber. She's an athlete and her appearance is not a real factor in her occupation. She excels in what she does and is quite phenomenal. How awful it is for petty people who potentially take away from her happiness to criticize her for her hair of all things!

Then I realized how deep the importance of hair is for many black women. This is a very general statement but as a black woman who has had her share of shade from other black women, I can attest that black women place a lot of their esteem into their hair. Our hair is commonly referred to as our glory and for the most part I can dig it. But too often does hair become something that makes us insecure. In other words, many black women cannot go anywhere without their hair done. This insecurity pours over to other people. Our insecurities have the potential to cause great harm to others, Gabby in particular.

Gabrielle Douglass is now being torn apart because her hair is not up to par. Hopefully, she is mature and confident enough to ignore the shallow criticism, and celebrate her recent accomplishments. But I worry that this would be too big of a feat for the teenager and the negativity will overshadow her success. So I ask you to be respectful of Gabby and recognize that a few years ago, she was you. Only, you probably did not have a gold medal.


This post is cross listed at LeChele's new blog on black people and mental health issues, Black with the Blues.

Shopping While Black

Racism is so annoying.

Last Friday, I was in an Asian owed beauty store. It was huge and I had just got paid so I decided to look for some new hair products. No harm, right?

Well, while on the phone with my boyfriend, I told him that I noticed that as I moved from on aisle to another, this Hispanic employee followed me. I was reading the backs of labels so I thought maybe I looked suspicious but as I glanced around to the other non-black customers (which was all of them), they were all doing the same thing.

Slightly annoyed but worried that I was overreacting, I moved to another aisle and there he was. I was furious. And I called him out. I said to him, "Why are you following me?" He gave me 'What the frack are you talking about' look and ignored me. I repeated myself but he still didn't say anything.

I stormed out and noticed two white guys shaking their head. I couldn't read their expressions but I think they thought I was being inappropriate.

I told two friends a few minutes later what happened but they didn't seem to sympathize much. Maybe it's not that big of a deal, and I know it happens a lot to black people but a day later I'm still upset by it.

Racism is so annoying.

To 98.7 KISS FM: A Special Tribute to a Special Station

 Over two weeks ago 98.7 KISS FM, one of my favorite stations here in NYC closed ranks and merged with longtime rival, 107.5 BLS. Both are your standard rhythm and blues stations but KISS played slightly more oldies. It was devastating for fans who have been tuning in for the past thirty years. The city lost it's only smooth jazz station a couple of years ago and now is losing a historic r&b station, one that featured shows from popular syndication talk show hosts Michael Baisden and Al Sharpton. It's where countless of musicians and community leaders were given opportunities to share their voices with listeners across the city. They must now want adults to listen to the radio anymore. Thanks Nicki.

From colorofchange.org:

In the 1960s and '70s, local Black radio stations served as the political and social "drumbeat" of Black communities. At WERD Atlanta, the nation's first Black-owned station, DJ "Jockey Jack" Gibson regularly slipped political news and commentary between record plays. With WERD's studio located directly above the offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Gibson was also known to lower his mic out the window to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whenever Dr. King wanted to make a statement on air.⁷

A large number of local Black stations were shut down after Congress deregulated the airwaves in 1996. This gave deep-pocketed corporations the green light to buy up thousands of stations in one fell swoop. To cut production costs, corporate owners slashed local programming in favor of nationally-syndicated content that could be broadcast across a large number of stations.⁸ The Community Low Power Radio Act was designed to bring local programming back to the airwaves by making broadcasting licenses available to nonprofit community groups and individuals.

The last time I blogged it was loosely about the death of black radio. If you are like me and are possibly interested in starting or working with a local FM station , join color of change's efforts in taking advantage of the recently passed, Local Community Radio Act. We need ensure that our voices are heard and our ideas are shared so our interests can be valued. This cannot happen if we do not have the platform community support radio affords us.

It's been awhile since I've posted here and I deeply apologize, but I thought I'd comeback with my favorite segment, Throwback Tuesdays. And this post, is dedicated to my beloved KISS that I will dearly miss. Within the comforts of my home, I like to pretend that I am a disc jokey. I rant a lot about social and political issues on facebook while blasting my favorite tunes and sharing with anyone who will listen. I may not become the next quiet storm disc jockey (my voice is too nasally) but is just a snippet of tunes I would feature on my show.

1. Stevie Wonder "As"

2. Amel Larrieux "Get Up"

Will the Robert Glasper Experiment Work?

Whenever given the opportunity, I snidely inform you all of how much I detest much of the new music out now. It is why I created Throwback Tuesdays! It why I love TV One's UnSung. On Saturday mornings, I make an effort to get up before noon and tune to the classic soul that will be heard on Felix Hernandez's Rhythm Review because I prefer it to the junk that is out right now.

So when I do come across an artist with a style as fresh as Robert Glasper's, I breathe a sigh of relief. His new LP, appropriately entitled Black Radio, has been rippling through online sound waves since its debut two weeks ago. With successful performances on Letterman's Late Show and New York City's Highline Ballroom, and the number 5 album on iTunes, the Robert Glasper Experiment sent a strong message to the music community. It demonstrated how eager people were for creative, soulful, feel good black music. The former jazz pianist collaborates with a collection of underrated jazz, r&b and hip hop artists including Chrisette Michelle, Ledisi,  Lalah Hathaway and Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def). Here is Bilal and Lupe Fiasco performing the track, "Always Shine":

My two favorite songs on the album is Ledisi's "Gonna Be Alright" and Erykah Badu's cover of "Afro Blue." Robert Glasper composes songs that weave together complex rhythms and melodies, showcasing each of the musicians' unique talents. While celebrating the diversity of incredible black music, we must ask ourselves why none of the music from our radios sound like anything from this album. 

One of the few conceptual albums to come out in a long time, Robert Glasper certainly sends a strong message with Black Radio. Black musicians from earlier generations articulated black thought and emotion in their music. This is what black music needs to return to. We aren't singing/ rapping about how we feel or about what we think. It's solely what we do. Absent is the soul that used to define black music. For the experiment to work, we need to not have people just enjoy Robert Glasper, we need them to follow his lead.

Theater Review: Katori Hall’s Hurt Village

 Often discussed in a sociological context, poverty is a distant phenomenon for many of us.  It is what we critique in our college classes, lament among friends, and romanticize in rap lyrics. But at times, too many of us choose to dismiss it.

In her current off-Broadway play, Hurt Village, accomplished playwright Katori Hall compels our attention with characters whose struggles are profound, yet common. Through their stories, the alienating nature of poor people’s lives is eliminated, at least temporarily. With dynamic performances from the actors, we cannot help but feel for people who live with unimaginable pain, even if we do not particularly identify with their issues. The combination of great storytelling and acting makes for a good theater experience, even when our connection to the characters is made by empathizing with their misery, their hurt.


Set in Hall’s native Memphis, TN, the play explores the story of troubled family and friends, and their quest for survival revolves around real life housing projects aptly called Hurt Village. The protagonist, 13-year-old Cookie (Joaquina Kalukango), may be too young to create drama of her own. She is a curious student who is bussed to an all-white, presumably adequate school but cannot seem to escape the chaos of her home life: Crank, her abusive mother (Marsha Stephanie Blake), Buggy, an erratic father who has been out of her life until recently (Corey Hawkins), and a foul mouth, cantankerous grandmother called Big Mama (Tonya Pinkins). There are few characters to root for in this play, given their lack of drive and overall negativity. But I found myself wishing the best for Cookie, hoping she might avoid the allure of addiction, criminal activity, and the quicksand of despair that traps her family.

In an attempt to set Hurt Village apart from the typical story about poor black people, Hall includes criticisms of political issues, including welfare reform, affordable housing, and veterans’ struggles. Her criticisms are well taken but are not enough to make the play distinct in nature, especially with characters who are close to being caricatures.  The story may not be a creative one, but it is poignant and comical, though sometimes outlandish. However, it’s not every day our emotions channel those of others who live in a world away from us.

A Lost Icon: Whitney Houston

Ladies and Gents. I am still reeling from the news. When Le Chele texted me asking me if I had heard about Whitney...I just never imagined. I had just seen pictures yesterday of her leaving a party. She looked so full of life. Folks, you just never know the day or time.

Many youngins who don't know Whitney Houston and what she brought to not only black culture, but also music culture in general, may only remember the drug-addled part of her life. Unfortunately this is what has taken center stage in her characterization, even more so than her amazing vocal talent. And it's a damn shame.

I remember growing up just in love with "I Want to Dance with Somebody" and "I Will Always Love You". She had this ridiculous voice that I would try (and still do) to mimic and her music was the epitome of the best.  Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner has yet to be topped, her movie "The Bodyguard" remains one of the best showcasing of her vocal (and acting) talent- creating some of the most passionate and beautiful ballads ever, and barely anyone in the current music sphere has come close to her delivery and talent.  She is one of the best. We are all sadden at such a surprising departure and I can only shake my head and send my prayers out to her family and hope that she has found peace.

"Star Spangled Banner"

"I Have Nothing"

"I Love the Lord"

"I'm Every Woman"

Safe Sex Commandments

 Well, Sista Zipporah and I were at her place last night, just chillin and shit. You know how we do. In addition to eating, drankin (of course), we talked about a whole heap of black issues. Of the many black issues that we have, we talked extensively about the continued practice of unsafe sex among our people. I would imagine that this is common among all demographics but considering the prevalence of teen pregnancy and high STD infection rates in our community, it's a problem that disproportionately hurts us more.

So it begs the question, why aren't people using condoms?? They're cheap, ubiquitous and well, important goddammit! Despite the PSA's and the many conversations about dire statistics, people are still not wearing condoms. Why? Clearly the HIV/ AIDS awareness messages are not getting through to black folk, especially young ones. Zippy and I decided to channel our inner fifteen year old, and create reasons to stay protected in a manner that would hopefully resonate with them crazy keeds.

10 Safe Sex Commandments

1. Ladies, if he doesn't want to do it with a condom....then he probably can't do it that good.
2. Would you trust him with you car??? Exactly.
3. Sure, that baby would be cute… but working 40 hrs a week for $7.25 to buy diapers and crappy baby food ain’t!
4. Sex with a condom is better than sex with a 2 year old around.
5. In Genesis it says be fruitful and multiply… but Adam and Eve ain’t have bills to pay!
6. In 2009, African Americans comprised 14% of the US population but accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections. We fuckin up!
7. Compare the price of a condom, with the price of a baby or with the price of lifelong HIV Treatment… WRAP IT UP.
8.   Don’t like to swallow… try swallowing a fistful of pills a day to stay alive.
9. Fellas, how many of y'all grew up without a dad? Be a real man and end the cycle with you.
10. It is OKAY to have sex, it’s even better when you know you’re safe.

 

PSA for Black Mothers

On my way home from work, a younger Black woman on the train was struggling with her two little girls. The subways car was slightly crowded and because the able-bodied people around her were assholes, only the older child was able to sit. The mother had to stand and carry the toddler in her arms, while trying her best to maintain her balance. I was appalled. Me and the gentleman sitting next to me offered the lady and her children seats.

The train ride happened fifteen minutes after I found myself in a little bit of a tiff with a parent. The confrontation went as follows:

Mother: Andrew's not with you?
Me: No, along with the other kids who weren't listening are being escorted with the dance teacher.
Mother: He cant be doing no extra time. I'm on a schedule. It's bad enough I have to wait from 5 o' clock.
Me: It's only for a couple of more minutes. And dismissal isn't really until 6.

The exchange happened at 5:48. Visibly annoyed, the mother avoided contact with me until her son was dismissed. It did not bother me much but I was frustrated that she cared more about getting home early than she did about her kid's poor behavior.

Facing Execution: The Story of Reggie Clemmons

I gather that most of you are unfamiliar with the story of Reginald Clemons and that is okay. I did not learn about his case until earlier today. He is convicted of being an accomplice in the murders of Julie and Robin Kerry. Anti-death penalty activists are fighting his execution on priciple but also because this case involves accusations of serious judicial misconduct, including allegations of police brutality and ineffective counsel.

The following excerpt is an official report from Clemon's report:

Reggie Clemons was sentenced to death in St. Louis as an accomplice in the 1991 murder of two young white women, Julie and Robin Kerry, who plunged from the Chain of Rocks Bridge into the Mississippi River. Two other black youths were also convicted, including Marlin Gray (executed in 2005). Clemons has consistently maintained his innocence. His case illustrates many of the flaws in the U.S. death penalty system.
Shortly after a 2009 execution date was stayed, the Missouri Supreme Court assigned a judge (a "Special Master") to investigate the reliability of his conviction and proportionality of his sentence. Amnesty International urges the state of Missouri to recognize the serious problems with Reggie Clemons' case and to commute his death sentence.

From Amnesty International:

"Reggie Clemons was sentenced to death in St. Louis as an accomplice to a 1991 murder. There was no physical evidence and since allegations have arisen of police coercion, prosecutorial misconduct, and a ‘stacked’ jury in the Clemons case. Despite so many lingering questions, Missouri is still planning to execute Reggie Clemons."

Last week Wednesday, we witnessed another state execute a brother by the name of Troy Davis despite a serious case that could be made for reasonable doubt. Millions gathered either in Georgia or in front of our computers and televisions, standing in allegiance with Troy Davis as he became the victim of our country's cruel and unusual interpretation of "justice." Execution has little to do with obtaining justice and a whole lot to do with getting revenge. It's justice from the viewpoint of a vindictive, thirteen year-old girl.

Unfortunately, people are always going to be wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit. It's a sad reality. But there is a difference between having a person sitting in a cell for 20 years when wrongly convicted and having him, oh I dunno, PUT TO DEATH! To be honest, I'm not sure if Troy Davis or Reginald Clemons are completely innocent. But isnt' that the point? If intelligent people can debate their innocence then it is reprehensible to execute them.

Since 1973, more than 130 people have been released from death row because of evidence that they were wrongly convicted. And while black people make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, we make up more than 40 percent of the nation’s death row prisoners. A 2001 University of North Carolina study found that killing a white victim is 3.5 times more likely to lead to a death sentence than killing a black victim.

Troy Davis: The Death of My Brother

We have all witnessed a great injustice tonight.

Did you know that on his death certificate, Troy Davis' cause of death will be listed as a homicide? A HOMICIDE. They are killing a man, whether innocent or not, to justify the death of another. How can anyone just ignore such an egregious situation? And yet as I continued to read all the tweets regarding Davis, I also noted that #youknowyoughetto was also trending (in the Philadelphia region at least) and X-Factor was also popular. Once again human life is carelessly thrown away. Troy Davis, the 52nd person to be executed in the prisons of Georgia. But we know that he is only one of the many strange fruit whose life has been taken needlessly.

As I look at this photo and listen to the @democracynow live stream the tears leak down my face. I am weeping. I have never been so hurt over a stranger. No he is no stranger. He is my brother. Troy Davis is my brother.

He is being executed right now, sitting on a gurney waiting as the cocktails of drugs take his very breath away. 7 of the 9 witnesses recanted their statements. There was no other evidence that put Davis as the murderer other than the 2 last witnesses. If that isn't reasonable doubt, I just don't know what is. If this isn't a misuse of justice. Just sickening.

I never supported the death penalty and I never will. An eye for an eye does indeed make the whole world blind. And right now too many of us have turned a blind eye to a system of justice that continues to instill injustice. 

I'm sorry if I'm not making much sense everyone. I am just so distraught that I just don't know how I can look at the government and continue to take it seriously.

Troy Davis said: They may take my body, but they can never take my spirit. Because my spirit belongs to God. 

God be with you Troy Davis. God be with his family. God be with the family of Officer MacPhail. God be with all of us. Because strange fruit continue to hang from the Poplar trees. 

The Fiore Scott Files: When You Touch My Hair (Part 1)

I had already planned on writing this piece because of my recent and past experiences with hair touching, but my sis lemonswithsalt sealed the deal for me when we got into a conversation about people touching our hair. We are both natural haired sisters (as are Zipporah and Le Chele) and with the diverse styles we craft for our coiffure, it isn't unusual for us to get asked about our hair or for it to be touched.

Now everyone knows that many black sisters, no matter how their hair is coiffed, have issues with random people touching their hair. Of course, there are some who are of the school of thought that it isn't that big a deal. But lemonswithsalt and I agreed that it's an invasion of personal space for people you don't know or people who don't ask, to just touch our hair. For her, "it's not about race. Or exoticism. It's about sitting on the train, and someone sitting next to you, reaching over and touching your hair without even speaking". And as someone who's had these very same experiences, I couldn't but help agree.

When I visited some friends who were living and studying in Paris back in 2009, I first really experienced this hair touching phenomenon. My friend Katy and I were staying in Paris for a long weekend and though we had walked everywhere in the city for the first day we were there, the first night we went out we decided to try the trains. While sitting on the train a group of older drunk white men sat down catty corner to us. And the one closest to me automatically started speaking French to me and touching my hair. I immediately started shrugging his hands off and replying in Greek to "not touch me" and to basically leave me alone. Of course, him not knowing Greek and me knowing only a little French, there was a language barrier [1]. But he continued petting me and I staunchly ignored it. My friend wondered why I didn't get up and move and I responded that I didn't want to attract anymore attention or have the group of men following us.  

When we finally met up with my guy friend who was staying in Paris, I immediately told him the story and he refused to believe me. He had been living there for over 6 months by that point and had never witnessed or heard of such a situation, so it was definitely beyond his scope that a random man who just start touching my hair. However later in the night when we had stopped along a street to try to figure out what to do before the end of our night, I had a run in with another random Parisian who was enamoured with my hair. As we stood on the sidewalk I watched from the corner of my eye as a drunk couple came up the street arguing. However I was totally caught off guard when the man stopped behind me and just stuck his hand in my afro and started basically feeling my hair up. He was drunkenly staring at his girlfriend who was staring wide-eyed and annoyed back at him, while I stared wide-eyed back at my friends. And my guy friend was flabergasted. He had never seen such a thing and finally believed me. 

Since then I've had other situations where my hair has been touched by random people and I usually just shrug it off. Sometimes I find it annoying, sometimes I find it humorous. I don't make too much of a big deal, but at the same time, people need to learn that it is an invasion of space to just go up and touch someone's hair. You wouldn't want someone just going up and touching your face or your purse. In the same way it's really not okay for random people to just approach a girl or guy and feel up their hair. Sure you can fully appreciate the beauty of the coiffure but if you want to touch, at least ask. You'll find that many of us don't really mind, especially if you ask.   

But then again, if you approach me the right way, you can touch my hair all you want. But that's a story for part 2. 

But ladies and gents, tell me the deal: How do you feel about random people touching your hair? Does it matter if they ask or not? 

[1] For some reason I didn't use English, but maybe that was because I didn't want to fully showcase my identity.

Victims in Hurricane Katrina Bridge Killings Get Justice

I mean, it's not often us black people are given justice in police brutality cases. This was a horrible crime committed by horrible people during a horrible disaster. The article from the New York Times:

A federal jury found five current and former New Orleans police officers guilty on Friday afternoon on all counts in the unjustified shooting of civilians just days after Hurricane Katrina, and of orchestrating a wide-ranging cover up over the ensuing years.

The all-guilty verdict brought a decisive close to what the mother of one victim called a “six-year battle” that has dogged this city since Sept. 4, 2005, when the streets were still flooded.

Four of the defendants – Sgt. Kenneth Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius, Officer Anthony Villavaso and former Officer Robert Faulcon – were convicted of federal civil rights violations for coming onto the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans on that day and opening fire on two families. James Brisette, 17, and Ronald Madison, 40, were killed and four others gravely wounded.

Prosecutors charged the officers with immediately beginning a cover-up, and the jury agreed, finding those four defendants as well as retired Sgt. Arthur Kaufman guilty on charges of obstructing justice, fabricating witnesses, lying to federal investigators and planting a firearm at the scene to bolster the story.

The defendants face potential life sentences.

From Amadou Diallo, to Sean Bell, to Oscar Grant- previously, you could pop a black man and get away with it, so long as you were wearing a blue suit. When police officers are acquitted in police brutality cases, it sends the message that they are immune from the same laws they are responsible for enforcing. Given that most of the more publicized incidents involve black men, the failures for the judicial system to adequately prosecute these officers has further weakened trust between the cops and black communities. I hope that this ruling will lead us in a new direction.

The Forgotten Social Network

Before there was the obsolete Myspace, the befuddling google +, and the powerhouse (and increasingly annoying) Facebook- there is one oft-forgotten social network that was for me and many other black youth/adults the start of our true social internet experience. That website is: Blackplanet.

Come on. Don't look at me like I'm crazy. I know y'all giving me the side-eye right now, but I know- I just know- you remember having a profile or two. Especially the old ones which actually started teaching us how to do html and all, since we wanted sparkly banners, flaming icons, backgrounds of our favorite rapper or just cash, and scrolling sentences saying how hot we were. Don't act like you don't remember.

I definitely remember and I won't front about my experiences with it. When our young generation began embracing the internet we all went on there for aol's chatrooms and places like Blackplanet. There was no google search, youtube, wikipedia, or pandora. It was a pretty simple process of waiting until your mom got off the phone, turning on aol and waiting for the annoying scratching booting up modem thingy to connect, then going somewhere trying to interact with others on the internet.

We'd accept friend requests from random people, giggle with our friends over stalker boys, and try to make our profiles as flashy as possible so that we could get lots of hits. But then that quickly became boring and obsolete, especially when things like Myspace came on. Blackplanet was popular in the black community, but Myspace was popular with everyone- even internationally. So I stopped using blackplanet and you did too. That was ninth grade for me.

Then I headed to college and as I said in an earlier post: one of my older college friends had told me about her experiences with dating/being involved with men from the internet, and I was interested, especially because I wasn't getting any attention from the people in my tiny college environment. I wanted to feel pretty and I wasn't getting that from the various men (I admit I was only interested in black men at the start of my college life- quickly grew out of that, thank God), so I decided to try something new and different.

Blackplanet had(s) definitely changed. Now it's mainly a more grown (and sometimes sexy) crowd, and for all intents and purposes, it's another free internet hook-up dating site. It used to be majority middle school/high school kids just interacting with each other, rarely with the intent to actually meet up (or maybe that was just me and my friends?). Now it's definitely utilized for two people to engage each other over the internet than meet up. That's what happened to me. But after my experience I deleted my account, feeling that it was just not for me. It was nice having guys message me expressing how beautiful they thought I was, but I had no interest in meeting up with these guys and they clearly had no interest past sex. That's just not me.

I recently stopped by the site and it still looks the same as it did when I was in college. They've tried to make it more sophisticated to keep people interested, but I don't know anyone who actually has an account (or is willing to tell me they do). I'd say it's pretty obsolete in this current technological age, but maybe you'd beg to differ.

So then: Has Blackplanet become obsolete? Do you even know what Blackplanet is? Have you ever used (or do you still use) it? Got some stories?

I know I'm not the only one who used it. Break it down.

In Defense of Soul Food

Up until about two months ago, I was a vegetarian for almost four years. My decision to return to a diet including meat was caused my increased boredom with vegetarian food and the inconvenience it was to adhere to such a diet when living with two big meat eaters. I live at home with my two lovely parents and am responsible for much of the cooking, especially in light of my father's recent sickness. My mother is from Harlem and my dad hails from a modest farm in McKinney, Virginia and for them, food's purpose goes beyond providing nutrition. For black people in America soul food is arguably the best preserved of our many traditions. Soul food is the story of black people's resilience against the attempt to erode our ancestral history while lacking adequate access to one of life's basic necessities, food.

Our cuisine has become an integral part of our culture, but it has also led us to become vulnerable to diet-related illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. So despite its deliciousness, soul food is often the subject to criticism regarding its unhealthiness. However, many people incorrectly criticize the nature of soul food and not the true sources of our poor health issues.