2nd Annual Food for Black Thought Symposium

Join us for a fresh conversation about food in Black communities.  The 2nd Annual Food for Black Thought symposium will focus on food issues in Black communities from a broad perspective with interactive talks, workshops, and discussions. Explore  food access and food traditions, food cooperatives and personal food histories, and more. This year we connect Black food experiences in Austin, with dispatches from the East and West coasts.  This is an action symposium: come, be inspired, share knowledge, learn more about FFBT's work on the ground, and more.

Keynote presenters:

– Dr. Amie Breeze Harper, author, blogger, and director of Sistah Vegan

– Michael Twitty, culinary historian and acclaimed blogger at afroculinaria.com

– Dr. Louis "Pancho" McFarland, author and scholar activist from Chicago State University

Day One – October 4 | 11-3:30 PM

*Location: Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, University of Texas – Austin, 1900 University Ave Austin, TX 78705 | Building/Room: Jester 232A | Campus Map

11 AM Introductory Remarks: Warfield Center Director
 

11:10 – 11:30 AM Freedom School Session: Introduction to FFBT and the organization's current community-based work 

11:30 – 12:00 PM Skype Talk: Dr. A. Breeze Harper Challenges and Opportunities in Using Critical Studies of Food to Discuss Race and Whiteness in a 'Post-Racial' USA
 

12:00 – 1 PM | Lunch
 

1:00 – 1:30 PM Keynote Talk: Michael Twitty* Food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian , and historical interpreter from the East Coast. Check out his popular + provocative blog at www.afroculinaria.com.
 

1:30 – 2:00 PM Guest Presentation: Ashante Reese From Farm Land to 'Food Desert': A Glimpse at Deanwood, D.C.
 

2:00 – 2:20 PM Presentation: Naya Jones, “East Side Food Stories: Black Youth, Food, and Gentrification in Austin”

2:20 – 3:00 PM Roundtable Conversation: Blackness and Food, Past and Present
 

3:00 – 3:30 PM Closing/Open Discussion

Day Two – October 5 | 11-4:35 PM

*Location: Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St., Austin, TX 78702

11:00-11:45 AM | Keynote Talk: Dr. Louis "Pancho" McFarland

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch 

1:15 – 2:15 PM | Nighthawk Hour

Elders from the historic Nighthawk Restaurant Chain in Austin share their experiences with local racial integration, food, and more. 

Break (10 min) 

2:25 PM – 3:25 PM | Growing Goodness

Local gardeners share their personal gardening stories and share tips.

3:35 – 4:35 PM | Share the Bounty: Roundtable Skillshare

Share what you know and learn from other folks. Choose skills you want to learn and add your knowledge. A taste of skillshare topics: – Gardening / Planting – Cooking – Shopping – Medicinal Herbs

Food for Black Thought (FFBT) is committed to sustaining and maintaining Black access to food resources, knowledge, and action in Austin, Texas and beyond to promote  Black Diaspora well-being in ways physical, social, and economic.

We Value: Community Knowledge | Alternative Economies | Access to Resources | Action + Research | Collaborative Education