Episode 9

Black Women in Activism and Food

In this episode of Setting The Table, Deb Freeman speaks with

• Suzanne Cope, writer and author of Power Hungry, The Women Of The Black Panther Party And Freedom Summer And Their Fight To Feed A Movement

• Arley Bell, baker and owner of Arley Cakes based in Richmond, Virginia

Episode highlights

Black Women Feeding A Movement

• Suzanne Cope shares her inspiration for writing about Black women who used food for political and social change.

• Throughout history, programs and attempts of providing food have been undermined, such as the Greenwood Food Blockade in the Mississippi Delta and confiscating food from the Black Panther Party.

• Learn about Aylene Quin and how her Mississippi restaurant became a safe haven for Black people during the Civil Rights movement, and 

• “Activist mothering” is explored, as Suzanne explains how activism work requires similar feminized skills as mothering and how women have often been overlooked as successful leaders.

• We also learn about Cleo Silvers, an instrumental figure in the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast for Children program, and its success in not only feeding young children in communities, but also serving as a way to gain true insight in community needs in other areas such as mutual aid and healthcare.

• Arley Bell recalls that her interest in baking began during college and grew after baking more cakes for her colleagues and friends. She began tying social justice causes into her baking after the 2016 election results. 

• Arley states the importance of including and highlighting Black joy and celebration in her cakes