Join me, Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot in conjunction with the Prospect Park Alliance and the New Negro Republic Lineage Society for a "Reclaiming Watermelon Picnic" at the Lefferts Historic House lawn on Sunday August 25th from 2pm - 6pm. Come groove to great music, learn (and taste!) bits and pieces about the incredible (oft untold) history of watermelon: its significant role in both world and American history; why and how Black Americans are beginning to reclaim the amazing fruit (psychologically, emotionally, economically…) in spite of centuries of painfully humiliating but powerful propaganda that resulted in generations of disassociation.

Come sample delicious heritage varieties the world’s most hydrating fruit 🍉 that originated in central Africa and arrived to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade — with enslaved (and later emancipated) African heritage people who were the foremost cultivators, stewards and purveyors of what would ultimately become this nation’s most iconic symbol of Summer in fruit form: Watermelon.

Bring snacks, outdoor blankets & chairs! …