New York Times bestselling author headlining UNCW MLK Celebration

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Jessica B. Harris, food scholar and New York Times bestselling author, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at UNCW.

The event will take place February 7th at 7:00 p.m. inside Kenan Auditorium.

Harris has authored, edited or translated 18 books, including 12 cookbooks documenting the foodways of the African Diaspora. 

“While some won’t readily understand the importance of culinary history as a part of the MLK celebrations, we hope to provide nuance and insight as we think about what it means for African Americans to make meaning of freedom movements by sitting at lunch counters or strategizing over coffee and pie,” said Sean Palmer, director of UNCW’s Upperman African American Cultural Center. 

In 2020, Harris received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation. The award is given to an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook or think about food in America.

Admission to the MLK observance is free, but tickets are required. Individuals can acquire tickets through the Kenan Box Office website.