Black Lives Matter
Howdy cookbook fans,
For now, a pause. It doesn’t seem appropriate to me to write about cookbooks while people are risking their lives facing pandemic and ongoing police brutality and whatever the hell Donald Trump is up to in order to protest the centuries-long oppression of Black people in this country.
I don’t believe cookbooks are necessarily a light topic meant to be shoved under the rug when things get heavy. The way people cook reflects the struggles they face. Cookbooks are the literature of kitchens, and some of the best cookbooks of necessity detail these struggles. I also don’t think you need to hear about that from a white woman just this second.
SO! I urge you to do whatever you can:
Follow the Black Lives Matter’s action card to donate, read, protest, sign petitions, and more.
A Texas-specific list of ways to help.
If you are in a position to, hire black writers/food stylists/photographers/recipe developers etc. etc.
Take a look at your cookbook shelf. Is it full of white authors? Time for a change.
Also! To put this in writing: I commit to covering BIPOC writers, both those who author cookbooks and food books, and those who write about them. I have strived to do so in the past, but there’s always room for improvement.
I’ll see you again soon. Stay safe out there.