Ashante Reese: "Gather"
Schedule
Thu Apr 23 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Enoch Pratt Free Library | Baltimore, MD
About this Event
A vibrant new vision of food justice that celebrates Black food and recognizes the power of gathering to create sustainable, systemic change.
Food justice is defined as the understanding that our food system is unequal and that something needs to be done about it. But how can we create a world where everyone has enough? What does it mean to truly nourish ourselves and our communities?
In Gather, anthropologist Ashanté M. Reese argues for a vibrant new vision of food justice that places Black communities at the center and offers us a visionary, delicious path forward. Reese reveals that to truly create equity in our food systems, we must embrace the abundance that already exists around us—and recognize that the social body is as important as our individual health.
Gather presents rich, on-the-ground stories of gathering around food in four spaces—gardens, family reunions, repasts, and protests. Blending rich storytelling with analysis, these chapters argue for the political power of food and invite us to learn from the tactics Black communities have long used to create sustainable, systemic change.
There are no simple solutions to the problems of acute need. But by recognizing that food justice is already all around us, we can start working together to create a more nourishing, joyful world. Gather is an intimate and urgent invitation to embrace local power, build better food systems, and nourish ourselves, body and soul.
Ashante Reese will be joined in conversation by Rev. Heber Brown.
About the Author:
Ashanté Reese is a writer, anthropologist, and associate professor of African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Raised in Cooper Settlement, Texas, she lives in Austin and is involved in food justice movements nationwide.
About the Moderator:
Reverend Dr. Heber M. Brown, III has been a catalyst for personal transformation and social change for more than twenty years. For nearly fourteen years, he served as pastor of a baptist church in Baltimore where he saw and personally experienced the impacts of food apartheid. This helped to inspire him to launch the Black Church Food Security Network which advances food security and food sovereignty by co-creating Black food ecosystems anchored by nearly 300 Black congregations in partnership with Black farmers and other food justice stakeholders. He serves on numerous boards including Bread For The World, Black Farmer Fund and Future Harvest. Rev. Brown has garnered numerous awards and is the author of the forthcoming book, Nothing More Sacred: Radical Stories Of Black Church Faith, Food and Freedom.
About the Program:
- Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
- A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
- Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
- There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.
Where is it happening?
Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
