FEARLESS COOK: GEORGIA GILMORE PRESENTED RESISTANCE THROUGH HER FOOD.
posted on
January 16, 2018
FEARLESS COOK
GEORGIA GILMORE PRESENTED RESISTANCE THROUGH HER FOOD.
She would cook for gatherings of the civil rights movement, during the late 1950's, donating proceeds back to the movement, as it resisted segregated busing. She was so successful at raising money, for the cause, through cooking, that others began emulating her model. This was all done within the African-American community, out of sight of authorities, and was referred to as "money from nowhere". But she was a fearless woman, who was willing to testify in court, and was willing to lose her job at the National Lunch Company, as a result, in pursuit of justice. She would not back down from tyranny, and subsequent to losing her job, opened a restaurant in her house to continue the quest for freedom.
Over the years, we have explored what goes on around the dining-room or kitchen table. The list is wonderfully long, and includes:
- newspapers read
- homework conducted
- groceries stacked
- food presented
- nutrition administered
- meals savored
- stories recounted
- conversation exchanged
- community gathered
- values taught
- emotions shared
- concepts pondered
- plans made
- babies conceived
- babies born
- rest taken
- travel realized
And now we have another activity for the table, thanks to Georgia Gilmore: #18. resistance presented.
As we ponder the meaning of Martin Luther King's words and actions, whose speech "I Have A Dream" is among the most inspired in the English language, what might we resist, as we prepare food and bring it to the table? We might resist the concept of selecting members of our society based on pedigree and genetics, as if they were strains of seed corn. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty exclaims:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me...
It is not "PhD's" from one corner of the world who have made our country great; it is wretched... masses yearning to breathe free. It is those with fire in their bellies, who expect nothing and are willing to do anything. They understand dignity of labor, and are humble about opportunities before them. They do not arrive on our shores travelling luxury-class, laden with entitlement. Their immense character can not be determined by race or country, but only by terrible circumstance.
Let us resist the notion of racial purity, for it does not exist in nature and will never withstand the tides of time. But during moments in time, it can prevail and do a lot of damage. So, by example of Georgia Gilmore, we are now called to summon courage and stand up against rising cruel refrain.
Ewes paw for grass.
The sump-pump for the drain in our basement-kitchen froze yesterday. So, we are building an igloo by which to heat it up. It has been five hours since construction, and no action yet, but I put my arm in there and it was toasty. Anybody who guesses how long it will take to thaw out, receives a free prepared-food of choice from us.
Below is pork shoulder, slow-cooked with chicken stock, as might be enjoyed in El Salvador, Haiti, or Nigeria. May we have the privilege to cook for those from there someday soon...
In tribute to fearless cooks.
Drausin & Susan
