Tag: Storytelling
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Bloneva Hunter
Bloneva Hunter is the mother of Daisy Mae Hunter. The research team was able to meet and interview the elder Ms. Hunter when they visited the family’s property. The elder Ms. Hunter spoke of her youth, career, family history, and learning ways of cooking and plaiting. She specifically focused on her children and the occupations Read more
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Garth King
Garth King, a former educator on various islands throughout The Bahamas, now farms on the land that used to belong to his grandmother. Mr. King lives with his wife, Rita King, who immigrated from Costa Rica. The research team received a tour of the Kings’ property which includes a pond with turtles, a prospective museum, Read more
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Mary Dash
Mary Dash shared joyful memories of fishing trips in South Carolina, recounting a childhood moment when her fear of crossing a log over a pond led her mother to come back and help her. That day ended with her catching about six fish—mainly catfish and croakers. She also remembered another special day when a woman Read more
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Loretta Spears
Loretta Spears reflected on her upbringing in Washington, D.C., where a strong sense of community—what she called “the village”—defined her childhood. Neighbors looked out for one another, and if a child misbehaved, someone would quickly step in with a firm, “I know your mama.” Loretta described a time when the entire community would come together Read more
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Laverte Mathis and Tyrone Goodwyn
Washington, D.C. native Laverte Mathis and longtime resident Tyrone Goodwyn were interviewed together at a site closely tied to their shared sense of home and history. Both men reflected on their Southern roots—Mathis’s family from Georgia and Goodwyn’s from North Carolina and Tidewater, Virginia—and the deep culinary traditions that have shaped their lives. Mathis spoke Read more
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Zenola Robertson
Zenola Robertson shared her deep familial and cultural ties to South Carolina, specifically St. Stephens, where her mother Iness was from. She reflected on traveling back and forth between South Carolina and other places, recognizing names like Santee, Sumter, and Moncks Corner from family stories. Zenola emphasized the strong sense of unity around food in Read more
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Group Interview: Tim Hall, Luke Blackwell, James Birth, Phyllis Metts, Janice Barnes
Tim Hall, Luke Blackwell, James Birth, Phyllis Metts, and Janice Barnes participated in a group interview led by Anita Gonzalez which explores how food functions in Black communities in Washington, D.C. as a source of health, healing, heritage, and connection. Janice Barnes opened by sharing her family’s generational history with high blood pressure and how Read more
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Group Interview: Harold Little, Joyce Robinson-Paul, and Mac-Arthur Mills
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Joyce Robinson-Paul, Harold Little, and Mac-Arthur Mills share deep roots in the city’s Black communities, including Shaw, Takoma, and Foggy Bottom. The three were interviewed at a church central to their lives, where annual gospel concerts, soul food, and fellowship continue to bring people together. Joyce, a native Washingtonian, Read more
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Margaret Weusi
Margaret Weusi, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, shares how food has always been a central part of her life, growing up in a large family of 13 siblings where nothing went to waste. Upon moving to the U.S., she found it unusual to see leftovers and had to adapt by recreating Caribbean dishes with available Read more
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Carlton Tucker
Carlton Tucker shared vivid memories of his childhood, shaped by the foods he was surrounded by and the labor that came with them. He humorously recalled refusing to eat tomatoes, and how his grandfather owned a mango grove where he and his cousin were made to climb trees to pick the fruit. That experience left Read more
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Stene Johnson
Stene Johnson reflected on her upbringing in Sumter, South Carolina, where self-sufficiency and community were a way of life. She recalled that there was no need for grocery stores—families grew their own food and shared it generously. Visitors were always welcomed to eat, usually outside under the trees, since there was no air conditioning. These Read more
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Jennifer Rickerby
Jennifer Rickerby shared heartfelt memories of learning to cook from her mother, who taught her and her siblings cherished family recipes like curry chicken, oxtail, rice and peas with grated coconut, and rum cake. Cooking was a long process of observation and patience—Jennifer joked that she was “in training for 100 years” before being allowed Read more
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Juanita Witherspoon
Juanita Witherspoon was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where she still lives, worships, and raised her family. A longtime member of the church connected to Saints Paradise Cafeteria, she’s been attending for over 58 years and regularly eats there with her husband after services. Juanita values flavor and consistency and sticks to places she Read more
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Group interview: Godwin Bell, Sheila Gibbs, and Stanley Lemon
This group conversation, led by Anita Gonzalez, explores the role of food in Black cultural resilience, healing, and community-building. Participants reflect on their personal food journeys, including Stanley Lemon, who moved from South Carolina and found comfort and community through soul food in Washington, D.C. He shares how changing his diet and biking helped him Read more
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Group Interview: Velgene Eastman, Ora Roberts, Kimberly Smith, and Janice Barnes
This group interview with Velgene Eastman, Ora Roberts, Kimberly Smith, and Janice Barnes took place at the United House of Prayer in Washington, DC. The conversation centered around the significance of food in Black communities, particularly its role in spiritual grounding, cultural preservation, and family connection. The women reflected on the joyful reactions of patrons Read more