WEEK. COMING UP. LOOKING AHEAD THIS MORNING, 731 THIS WEEK, WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY IS HOSTING A SYMPOSIUM ON FOOD AS THE SOUL OF A COMMUNITY, BUT ESPECIALLY BLACK COMMUNITY IS. JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS THIS EVENT IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DERRICK HICKS. DERRICK, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. VERY EARLY MORNING. YES, EARLY MORNING. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME HERE. SO I KNOW THIS SYMPOSIUM IS TITLED HEART AND TABLE CULTURE AND CULTIVATION AND FOOD ACCESS IN BLACK COMMUNITIES. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE TITLE, THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS EVENT. SURE. OF BIRTH AND TABLE? I WANTED TO THE EVENT, OR AT LEAST THE TITLE TO CONVEY THE BEAUTY OF THE HISTORY OF COOKING AROUND THE HEARTH. THAT IS CONNECTED TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULINARY EXPRESSION FROM ENSLAVEMENT AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE CONTEMPORARY TIME AND THE TABLE, WHAT HAPPENS AROUND THE TABLE, FELLOWSHIP AROUND THE TABLE, THE STRUGGLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE CONVENIENCES THAT I WANTED THE TITLE TO ARTICULATE. THIS WILL BE AN EVENT THAT WILL BE UNIQUE IN THAT IT WILL BRING TOGETHER SCHOLARS, CHEFS, RESTAURATEURS, FARMERS, ADVOCATES FOR FOOD ACCESS IN URBAN COMMUNITIES. BUT IT WILL ALSO INCLUDE AT LEAST THREE JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINEES. SO I’M REALLY EXCITED TO BRING THIS TO OUR PUBLIC. DEFINITELY AN EXCITING EVENT. I KNOW IT’S GOING TO END WITH THAT KEYNOTE TALK FEATURING DR. JESSICA HARRIS, AUTHOR OF AN AWARD WINNING BOOK AND RECENT NETFLIX SERIES HIGH ON THE HOG, WHICH IS SO COOL. WHY IS SHE IMPORTANT IN THIS CONVERSATION AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HER BACK TO JESSIE? IT COULD BE HAIR IS SHE IS MOST OF THE FOLKS THAT I INVITED TO THIS EVENT MADE REFERENCE TO HER AS A MENTOR. EITHER YOU KNOW, I BUY INTIMATE CONNECTION OR JUST THROUGH READING HER BOOK. AND HIGH ON THE HOG IS A MAGNUM OPUS TEXT AND IT OFFERS US AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FOODWAYS AS A JOURNEY, A JOURNEY FROM WEST AFRICA TO ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO THE ATLANTIC WORLD, AND ULTIMATELY TO WHAT WE UNDERSTAND AS THE UNITED STATES. AND SO IT’S AN IMPORTANT BOOK IN THAT IT NOT JUST ESTABLISH ISSUES. WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN FOOD CULTURE TO AFRICAN AMERICANS? WHAT IT DOES IS IT ARTICULATES THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT CULTURE TO THE UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE. FOOD STUFFS THAT ARE COMMONPLACE TO US. IN ESSENCE, WE FIND OUT THROUGH HER WORK HAVE THEIR STARTING POINT IN WEST ON WEST AFRICAN SHORES LIKE RICE FROM SENEGAL AND GAMBIA. SO IT’S AN IMPORTANT WORK IN THAT WAY. IT’S EXPRESSED BEAUTIFULLY AND I THINK EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE IN FOR A TREAT WHEN THEY HEAR HER SPEAK NOT ONLY ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE, BUT ABOUT HER THINKING AND RESEARCH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOOD CULTURE. DEFINITELY. LIKE YOU SAID, SO MANY IMPORTANT PIECES OF THIS CONVERSATION, INCLUDING THE PERSON YOU’LL BE SPEAKING WITH, DR. HARRIS, WE’RE TOLD SHE’S A PART OF A NEW GENERATION OF CHEFS, CULINARY STARS EMERGING IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOODWAYS. CAN YOU SHARE MORE OF HER STAR STORY IN THE ROLE THAT SHE HAS IN THIS EVENT? YES, GABRIELLE AT TEN IS ALSO IN THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY, BUT SHE IS A CULTURAL CHEF. SHE’S A CULTURAL PRESERVER. SHE’S A CULTURAL PRODUCER. SHE ALSO FOLLOWS TRADITIONAL FOOD CULTURE PRACTICES OF GATHERING AROUND THE TABLE. SHE HAS THESE BEAUTIFUL FALL OR AUTUMN EQUINOX DINNERS THAT SHE OFFERS EVERY FALL, BUT SHE ALSO WORKS THROUGH HER NONPROFIT TO SUPPLY FOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED. SO IT’S JUST A WONDERFUL VIBRANCY AND A KIND OF A GENERATIONAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN JESSICA BE PART JESSICA B HARRIS SCUSE ME AND GABRIELLE. AT THE END, BECAUSE I THINK THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DRAW OUT IN THAT CONVERSATION. IT’S NOT JUST THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRODUCE ATION OF FOOD, BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT FOOD MEANS IN DISCLOSING ONE’S IDENTITY, IN MEANING MAKING AND IN ALL THE WAYS THAT WE THINK ABOUT OUR CULTURAL PRODUCTION. THE FOODS THEY WILL SHOW US HOW LANGUAGE PLAYS A PART AND HOW WE DISCLOSE IT TOGETHER AND HOW WE SHARE THE FOOD AS BEING IMPORTANT AND HOW IT LIFTS THE BURDENS OFF OF PEOPLE’S BACKS. NOT ONLY BY NOURISHING THEIR FLESH, BUT ALSO NOURISHING THEIR SPIRITS. SO I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION. WELL, YOU JUST HIT ON MY LAST QUESTION OF WHAT REALLY WE WANTED PEOPLE TO GET FROM THAT CONVERSATION. SO I’M GOING TO GET TO THE INFORMATION OF HOW PEOPLE CAN BE A PART OF THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR JOINING US ON THIS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. WE DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. SO THAT SYMPOSIUM BEGINS 9 A.M. FRIDAY WILL WRAP UP AGAIN WITH THAT KEYNOTE CONVERSATION BETWEEN DR. JESSICA B HARRIS AND THEN GABRIELLE ETIENNE. THAT IS AT 6 P.M. IN THE PORTER BIRAM.