SouthTalks: "Gather: Black Food Nourishment and the Art of Togetherness" with Ashanté Reese and Jodi Skipper

In Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness, anthropologist Ashanté M. Reese argues for a vibrant new vision of food justice that places Black communities at the center and offers a delicious, visionary path forward. Reese reveals that to truly create equity in our food systems, we must embrace the abundance that already exists around us—and recognize that the social body is as important as our individual health. Gather presents rich, on-the-ground stories of gathering around food in four spaces—gardens, family reunions, repasts, and protests. Blending rich storytelling with analysis, these chapters argue for the political power of food and invite us to learn from the tactics Black communities have long used to create sustainable, systemic change. Reese is joined in conversation by University of Mississippi professor of anthropology and Southern Studies, Jodi Skipper. Ashanté M. Reese is an anthropologist and associate professor of African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Weaving together food justice, geography, and care, she offers stories about the practices that sustain and free us. Gather is her latest book. Jodi Skipper’s research interests include African diaspora anthropology, historic sites management, historical archaeology, museum and heritage studies, and Southern Studies. More specifically, she explores how African American pasts are represented in the present. This SouthTalk is a partnership between the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, African American studies, and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. SouthTalks is a series of events – including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions – that explore the interdisciplinary nature of Southern studies. All events are at Barnard Observatory, unless otherwise noted, and are free and open to the public.