On the Lighthouse bookshelf: “Gather: Black Food Nourishment and the Art ofTogetherness”

The “most powerful” message of Ashante M. Reese’s new book is us

"Gather" author Dr. Ashante Reese: Her work focuses mostly on Black food culture and justice. image credit: courtesy of the subject.  

I began reading Dr. Ashanté M. Reese's new book “Gather: Black Food Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness,” and a flood of memories rushed in: memories of my grandmother, Dorothy Lee Rochell, and her kitchen mastery; memories of both my grandfathers and their truck patch gardens; the fried chicken at St. Ollie Missionary Baptist (my maternal family's church) and Polk Chapel Baptist (my paternal family's church); the Hogbetsotso Festival in Ghana (my ancestral family's traditional homecoming); and my maternal family's annual tradition called "Cousins Day." These memories served my well-being—not only by reminding me who I am but also by recharging my spirit. 

In "Gather,"Reese reminds us of the political power of food and gathering in our quest for equity in an often-inequitable world.

That is the purpose of Reese's new offering. It centers Black communal gatherings and how they are used as a healing modality for the social body. Reese reminds us of the political power of food and gathering in our quest for equity in an often-inequitable world. The most powerful message of “Gather” is this: one of our greatest tools for becoming whole again has always been, and will always be, each other. You can find “Gather” at www.blackgathering.net.