“Juneteenth is a time to gather as a family, reflect on the past and look
to the future. Discover ways to celebrate this African American cultural
tradition of music, food and freedom.” ~ NMAAHC
It’s Juneteenth time! aka “Black Independence Day” that recognizes & celebrates the day (on June 19th 1865) that the last (very large) group of an estimated 1/4 million enslaved Americans were finally and officially freed from chattel slavery after the Union Army marched into the port city of Galveston, Texas — the last of the Confederate states to surrender in their defeat to the Union Army — to enforce the emancipation proclamation. This event took place two 1/2 years AFTER they’d been legally freed (on Jan 1st 1863) and more than two months after the American Civil War had ended (on April 9th 1865). The joyous eruption said to have been heard from an estimated 250,000 finally free humans (after generations of bondage across the centuries) became the first “Jubilee” Day, marking a new beginning and optimistic hope for equality and freedom. For further context other Emancipation and Jubilee Days had taken place and were celebrated in various places on different dates along the US history timeline (including July 5th 1827 for Black New Yorkers), and it wasn’t until December 6th, 1865 that the 13th Amendment was ratified that formally ended the practice of slavery for all people throughout the entire United States.
Nonetheless Juneteenth marked a major ‘win' for the Union, as reflected in the joyous responses of hundreds of thousands upon hearing the news that slavery was over and they could theoretically go forward as equal people in American society. The immediate and primary focus for most was to find family members with the possibility (and in some cases the actuality) of reuniting with loved ones that were either torn apart from each other when sold off (i.e. spouses, children, parents, siblings, etc.) to both near and far away places or might have self emancipated (run away) without a trace. Annual celebrations would start the following year in June of 1866 as many Black Texans celebrated a full year of freedom with music and celebration foods, which over time begat many of the annual Juneteenth food & drink traditions — including lots of (red, seeded ) watermelons, barbecue mains and sides, seasonal berries, vegetables and such.
(Naturally-Colored!) RED Foods & Drink Rules ….
As Summer officially starts (tomorrow!/June 20th 2024) so does the season of social gatherings both in and out of doors. Communal dishes and outdoor cookery and picnic foods are perfect for Juneteenth, the day before the Summer solstice this year. In-season Red-hued foods (e.g., strawberries, rhubarb, cherries tomatoes, watermelon, etc.) and bright red drinks feature prominently thus distinguishing this pre-Summer holiday from other picnics, park parties, cookouts, backyard barbecues misc food-filled soirees.
The color red has a historical and cultural continuity to societies throughout Western Africa (the origin of the majority of African Americans today) where red often played an important spiritual, ritual and even royal role for centuries. As the color of the liquid life force that flows through all human veins, it also represents strong kinship ties to loved ones both in the present and the past. And as a dynamic color that signifies celebration the world over, red shows up in nature sparingly yet abundantly this time of year (e.g., strawberries, rhubarb, cherries, tomatoes, watermelon...). And as celebratory feasts were had in the years that followed, the season helped to support this culturally-rooted red foods (& drinks!) tradition.
A mocktail I designed for one of Chef Chris Scott ‘s courses at a James Beard House dinner. I added dashes of vibrantly delicious all-natural “Kool-Aid” created by Chef Omar Tate for a splash of red color + natural fruit-forwardness.
As for the source of said red coloring and such, I don’t cook or concoct with (nor do I condone the use of) artificial or synthetic flavors or colors in dishes or drinks — especially RED DYE #3 — a known carcinogen that shows up in thousands of American food products (and in many people’s personal recipes!) this time of year. Not in any of my recipes — nor the OPR (“other people’s recipes” i was charged with painstakingly selecting and carefully curating for FOOD.Com where i sifted through thousands (ok hundreds lol) of home cooks recipes to find indicators of: good quality ingredients, great taste, flavor and freshness factors, as well as for nutritional density and such— You’re welcome! And THIS year you’ll get those recipes served up an an even more engaging way (see “Explore… “ below) RECIPE CARDS also available on my Patreon
Connecting the Culinary Dots from Past to Present:
While early Juneteenth commemorations were held mainly within Black communities throughout Texas, annual celebrations expanded over time as a result of the Great Migration. As this country’s foundational farmers, cultivators, and preeminent group of professional cooks and chefs throughout the nation, Black Americans (Negros, Coloreds etc.) helped shape and define various types of American regional cookery and cuisine, including many now-classic dishes — several of which are reflected in the stash of curated Juneteenth recipes and menus I’ve curated and provided historical and cultural context for each.
Additional context comes with the upfront acknowledgment of the fruits of enslaved labor by people previously not permitted to enjoy their output (in spite of their essential role in growing and laboriously preparing elaborate dishes entirely for the fine dining and enjoyment of their oppressors). On the food front, freedom would come to mean the opportunity to also consume foods once forbidden and/or off limits to them although created by their own ingenuity and culinary talents — affordability permitting of course.
This year experience “Uhuru” or Freedom Season (virtually or in person)
Juneteenth is actually the perfect chronological calendar precursor to what became the first freedom-themed American holiday, July 4th 1776, aka “Independence Day” — which we all (should) know by now was NOT an Independence Day for ALL. Yes the road to full on “freedom for all” has indeed seen great gains but has also been fraught with significant setbacks, and there still much to achieve…
This year instead of just celebrating Juneteenth on one jam packed busy a$& day (a hump day at that!) AND in support of my friend and colleague Grey’s work and Poster Series in Prospect Park (June 19th - July 5th): “Uhuru Season: 17 Days of Freedom” I’ve assigned at least one TFG-curated Juneteenth recipe to each of the 17 Freedoms he’s identified and is featuring daily over the course of those 17 days.
Here’s Day One’s Pairing and stay plugged in for each upcoming day [see hyperlinks below] as I dish out these freedom-paired recipes for each of the 17 days between Juneteenth (June 19th) and July 5th. Learn more via these recipes and their stories and use them as great tactile devices through which to engage, reflect and ideally enjoy this Freedom season!
What is “Uhuru Season”: 17 Days of Freedom ?
• It’s a (real life) Poster Series installation by its initiator, Grey Jones
• Uhuru is the Swahili word for “freedom” . This year the “17 Days of Freedom” go from Wednesday June 19 through to Friday July 5, 2024…
• Grey facilitates this now annual exhibition to help commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth — the last day that all Americans were ultimately liberated from enslavement, and July 5th — the day that many Black Americans (New Yorkers especially) historically celebrated American Independence as a sociopolitical protest to the continued enslavement of people prior to emancipation.
The physical location of the poster series is inside of Prospect Park in Brooklyn NY on “Juneteenth Way” near the Flatbush Ave & Ocean Pkwy entrance (and near back of the merry go round attraction). This area (complete with a stretch of red black and green benches) has been designated as part of a citywide initiative. NYC Parks and Prospect Park Alliance stand in solidarity with the Black community and the fight to end systemic racism. The Alliance and NYC Parks will engage with the community to rename this area after a Black individual with local significance. This complements our work to restore Lefferts Historic House, and more strongly shed light on the experiences of our ancestors while also serving as a community hub and space for dialogue.
Learn more about Juneteenth Way and “17 Days of Freedom” here on Prospect Park’s website: https://www.prospectpark.org/prospect-park-alliance-welcomes-juneteenth-way
Reflect on each Freedom Day + explore Historically-Rooted Recipes relevant all Summer long:
Each day between June 19th and July 5th, Grey displays a new poster highlighting a particular freedom intended to encourage reflection on said freedom. Which you can experience in person or virtually via IG posts from @JonesGrey that I will also re-post via @TheFoodGriot + feature at least one recipe paired with that day’s Freedom.
Curated Recipes Contain Oft Hidden History:
The smoked meats recipes for example (i.e., smoked, brisket, bbq chicken, the “should be illegal ribs”. etc.) collectively signify the American barbecue toiled over by Black bodies who were forbidden from benefitting from both the satisfaction of leisurely consumption as well as the gargantuan profit from its commercial enterprise (until present day, although the playing field remains unbalanced). Additional layers of recipe-specific and ingredient intel abounds as well…
Several recipes feature in-season ingredients, some of which are emblematic of Africa’s botanical imprint in the US and the Americas: like watermelon, black-eyed peas or okra. These crops (and others) originated in sub-Saharan Africa and arrived in the Americas via the transatlantic trade along with the people who cultivated them here and thus enabled us to enjoy so many of these Summer staples today.
HYPERLINKS TO FREEDOM DAY PAIRINGS, Recipes & Info….
• DAY ONE: Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Wed JUNE 19TH • DAY TWO : Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Thur JUNE 20TH • DAY THREE : Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Fri JUNE 21ST • DAY FOUR : Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Sat JUNE 22nd • DAY FIVE : Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Sun JUNE 23rd • DAY SIX : Freedom Day + TFG Paired Recipe Mon JUNE 24th • DAY SEVEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Tues JUNE 25th • DAY EIGHT: Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Wed JUNE 26th • DAY NINE: Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Thurs JUNE 27th• DAY TEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Fri JUNE 28th • DAY ELEVEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Sat JUNE 29th • DAY twelve : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Sun JUNE 30th• DAY THIRTEEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Mon JULY 1st • DAY FOURTEEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Tues JULY 2nd • DAY FIFTEEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Wed JULY 3rd • DAY SIXTEEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Thur JULY 4th • DAY SEVENTEEN : Freedom Day + Paired Recipe Friday JULY 5th…
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June 19th is also National Martini Day !🍸…
That’s all I have to say on this for now — but feel free to join my ‘The Food Griot Drinks!’ channel on IG as one of the ways to get more of liquid based TFG intel…
But MORE IMPORTANTLY Become a TFG Patreon Supporter for more! food (and drink!) history & culture CONTENT, interviews, digital documents, food & drink demos, menus, recipes , pics, videos, and more!… Thank you in advance for helping support my work
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