Class Description
We will start by covering the impact of traditional African farming and food knowledge and its benefit to early colonial survival in the Americas. The following sessions will explore how the multimedia landscape of the United States was used to reinforce and spread narratives that undermine food sovereignty among Black populations, while examining what the Great Migration’s transition of large numbers of Black Americans from field hands to urban proletariat meant for agricultural knowledge retention. The series will conclude with an exploration of various ways in which Chicago’s Black residents are seeking to engage in agriculture through community gardens, urban horticulture, and animal-assisted therapy.
Ahmad Bracey (he/him) is an intergenerational arts educator and researcher from Chicago. He is currently Manager of Learning: School and Youth Communities at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Materials List
Required
- Diane M. Spivey, At the Table of Power: Food and Cuisine in the African American Struggle for Freedom, Justice, and Equality. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780822947318
- Digital Course Packet
First Reading
- Spivey, At the Table of Power, pages 3-47, 193-195.
Cost and Registration
3 Sessions, $200 ($180 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We now offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($200), Community Supported ($190), and Sponsor ($210). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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