Food Histories: Missisippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is rich in food and farming traditions. I’ve worked with Delta Fresh Foods Initiatives (DFFI) over the years and in 2021 I joined the late DFFI director Judy Belue and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Assistant Professor of African American History Bobby Joe Smith II to record oral histories from some of the community elders and youth working to build upon the Delta’s African-American farming roots.

The following video combines portions of the interviews with b-roll shot during previous visits to see Delta Fresh Foods Initiative youth programming. The full versions of the oral history interviews are archived with DFFI.