Foodie Fridays: Food is Freedom

Foodie Fridays: Food is Freedom

In the US, food and farming have a long history of being tied to freedom – and enslavement. For the final Foodie Fridays of 2023, speakers will discuss the power rooted in food and farming. Susan Cook will share the story of her fourth great aunt, Alethia Tanner, and how growing food was her pathway from enslavement to freedom. Gardener and edible activist Vanessa Pierre will discuss her advocacy work and how gardening continues to empower communities.

Susan Cook – Podcast Creator & Producer, Lethe Tanner Was Here

Susan Cook is the creator and producer of Lethe Tanner Was Here – a podcast that tells the amazing story of her ancestor, Alethia Tanner. Alethia began life enslaved on a plantation in Upper Marlboro but was able to purchase her freedom by selling vegetables. Inspired by her ancestor’s story, Susan finds a deep connection to growing food. She and her partner have transformed their front and back yard to be an urban forest garden, feeding pollinators and themselves. In their small city yard, they grow a wide variety of foods to increase their own self-sufficiency but also to help build, educate and inspire their neighborhood community.

Vanessa Pierre – Garden Coach & Educator, Food Security Advocate & Edible Activist

Vanessa Pierre is a garden coach, educator, and food activist in the DC Metro area. When she is not performing her functions of being a mother to three beautiful children and working full time, she runs an organization whose mission is to build strong, self-sufficient, empowered, and healthy minority communities through food & gardening education, demonstration, and advocacy. Her brand, Homestead Hustle & Healing, is an online platform with local community initiatives, whose mission is to end food insecurity among minority populations. In addition to her work through Homestead Hustle & Healing, she focuses her work to end food insecurity in the priority zip codes located in East Montgomery County, Maryland.

This event will be held at Josiah Henson Museum and Park