www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/25/black-history-month-black-food-bem-books
For sisters Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport, every month is a good time to read about Black food. As the owners of Brooklyn’s BEM | books & more, the country’s first book store to focus on the topic, the two sisters are regularly curating works that narrate and elevate stories and memories about Black food.
“Black history, for us, is a year-round affair,” said Gabrielle. “In terms of things we’re reading, it’s always exciting to see how history shows up throughout the collection.”
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For Black History Month, the two are revisiting cookbooks, poetry, essays and memoirs that highlight the role of food in Black culture and liberation. From texts like Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, which examines the intersection of the fight for racial justice and the fate of Black businesses like McDonald’s franchises; to The Ideal Bartender 1917 Reprint, a recipe book highlighting early 20th-century cocktails from iconic Black bartender Tom Bullock; to At the Table of Power: Food and Cuisine in the African American Struggle for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, which examines the role of food in the fight for freedom and equality, the bookshop owners remind readers that there are many types of texts that stimulate taste buds while re-creating and often challenging perceptions about race and identity.
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