Celebrating Culinary Heritage: Dr. Jessica B. Harris speaks at UNCW’s MLK Celebration

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Upperman African American Cultural Center at UNCW hosted its annual MLK Celebration on Wednesday night.

Dr. Jessica B. Harris spoke to a packed Kenan Auditorium as the event’s keynote speaker. Harris is a food scholar and best selling author. Her award-winning book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, was the basis for the acclaimed Netflix docuseries of the same name.

Her talk focused on the intersection of culinary history and freedom movements.

Milton Gore, Jr. is the assistant director of the Upperman Center. He says this year’s theme for the center is Black food culture, making Harris a perfect fit for this year’s keynote speaker.

“We’re focused on gumbo, the Creolization of Black food pathways, and so who other than the great Dr. Jessica B. Harris who has traveled the world and also is a food scholar that can definitely explain to us the African Diaspora between Black food culture and what it means within history,” said Gore.

Also at the event, Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo read a proclamation officially recognizing this February as Black History Month.