GARLIC & GREENS:
accessible soul food stories

GARLIC & GREENS is a participatory design project to encourage dialogue about migration history and food heritage. Before thousands of immigrants arrived in the U.S. along the well-traveled route through Ellis Island, black Americans’ ancestors were brought to this country
in bondage in the horrifying Middle Passage. Many of their descendants fled for freedom and later traveled in pursuit of greater opportunities in several waves known as the Great Migrations. People searched for a respite from racism and moved to pursue more abundant job opportunities in northern cities like Chicago. This human movement was accompanied by the journey of southern American food traditions including soul food ingredients like okra, garlic, beans, yams, and various dark leafy greens among others. Inspired by this history, GARLIC & GREENS welcomes participation from everyone while focusing particularly on stories from Chicago’s African American residents.

GARLIC & GREENS is offering public programs showcasing the intersections between migration history, food heritage, social justice, the arts, and disability studies. Each lecture will be accompanied by a meal to encourage conversation about the information presented. Please join us for these upcoming free events:

4:00 PM, Friday 22 July
Access Living, 115 West Chicago Avenue
Featuring Los Angeles poet, playwright, and performer Lynn Manning and Alana Wallace, founder and artistic director of Dance>Detour, Chicago’s first professional “diverse-abilities” dance company. Sign language interpreters, narrative description, and personal assistants will be provided.

2:00 PM, Saturday 6 August
DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 East 56th Place
Featuring renowned historian Timuel Black and Audrey Petty, Associate Professor of in the Creative Writing program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sign language interpreters will be provided.

In addition to attending the public events, anyone may volunteer to participate in the project’s oral history archive. During an audio recorded one-one-one interview, GARLIC & GREENS will pose informal questions such as: “What home-cooked dish is an important tradition in your family? How do you make it?” Others may share their stories through a call-in phone line at 312.8700.GNG.

The final product of GARLIC & GREENS will highlight food heritage through a printed collection of stories gathered from Chicago residents. This book will feature tactile graphics for an audience of readers with low or no vision. The GARLIC & GREENS project is making a special effort to reach audiences with low or no vision because African Americans are at a higher risk for sight loss from glaucoma, diabetes and hypertensive retinopathy. The good news is that these diseases can be prevented with a healthy diet and regular access to health care. GARLIC & GREENS will help participants make stronger connections between cultural heritage, culinary traditions, food access, and health and wellness.
To learn more and to participate, please visit http://garlicandgreens.info

Lead Organization: Archeworks. Special Partner: Columbia College Chicago. Program Partners: Access Living, Bodies of Work: a program on Disability Arts, Culture, and Humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Disability and Human Development, and the DuSable Museum of African American History

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.