On Black Food Fridays, Power, and Social Media Influence (w/ KJ Kearney)

My guest for this episode is community organizer, food writer, educator, and social media influencer. KJ Kearney. He is the creator of the James Beard Award winning Instagram account Black Food Fridays, the newsletter Who Made The Potato Salad?, and the live Black food storytelling event Bite The Power.

We have a wide-ranging discussion about several topics, including the history of red rice as a Gullah/Geechee dish with roots in West Africa, using Black food media as a vehicle for racial uplift, the responsibility of social media influencing, the limitations of the internet as an organizing tool, and KJ's evolving ideas on the meaning of power.

• KJ Kearney's Instagram account Black Food Fridays: instagram.com/blackfoodfridays

• His newsletter Who Made The Potato Salad?: whomadethepotatosalad.substack.com/

• The Charleston Red Rice Day proclamation: scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/bills/3453.htm

Listen to full episode:

on Black Food Fridays, Power, & Social Media Influence (w/ KJ Kearney)

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Episode Notes:

• Rice Coast of Africa

• Target boycott

• Mark Zuckerberg

  • The Social Network

• Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post

• Gullah-Geechee people

• “Geechi Liberace”– Rick Ross

• “Universal Soldier”– Jay Electronics ft. Jay-Z

• “Chain Music”– Wale

• A Soldier’s Story

  • “The Day of the Geechee is Gone”

• CxffeeBlack

• Rodney Scott

• Parable series – Octavia Butler

• “Shake it Like a Dog” – Kane & Abel

• “Back That Azz Up”– Juvenile ft. Mannie Fresh & Lil Wayne

• Atlanta

  • “Barbershop”  (S2 E4)

• Southside

  • “Life of an Ottoman” (S2 E5)

• Master of None

  • “Thanksgiving” (S2 E8)