Jessica B. Harris (left) in conversation with Tamika Francis (right) at WBUR CitySpace Monday, December 9, 2024.

On a rainy Monday night at WBUR CitySpace, James Beard Award-winning culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris took the stage with the founder of Food & Folklore, Tamika R. Francis. Outside the large bay windows, the roads and sidewalks were slick. Boston University students stepped off the Green Line, scurried to their next destination. The theater inside WBUR CitySpace was warm, the smells of mac and cheese and gingerbread tantalizing the attendees. Backstage, the kitchen whipped up the food for guests to sample after the conversation.

Amidst a gray backdrop, Dr. Harris and Francis donned colorful apparel. Dr. Harris wore a black dress with a teal, orange, and yellow shawl draped across her shoulders. Francis displayed a black pantsuit with beige and royal blue flowering. Both women held on their laps Dr. Harris’s updated edition of her book “A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition.”

Francis started the conversation by noting that she recently moved to the United States and was navigating being black in America. Dr. Harris held the microphone in one hand, the device angling towards her lap. Without glancing up from a page of her book, she said, devoid of emotion, good luck.

Francis asked what Kwanzaa meant to the culinary historian. Dr. Harris flipped to the beginning of the cookbook, her eyes scanning for a specific paragraph. She looked up to connect with Francis. Dr. Harris reflected on the origins of Kwanzaa. She said Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday founded by Maulana Karenga in 1966. The secular holiday is a seven day event celebrated from December 26 to January 1 and focuses on seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Each principle is the foundation for the day’s observance. Umoja is celebrated on day one and so forth. 

Kwanzaa is rich with symbolism. The Mishumaa Saba are the seven candles and represent the seven principles. The Kinara is the candle holder. Dr. Harris joked that the kinara is different from the menorah. Similar, but entirely separate holiday. The Mkeka is a traditional woven mat that represents sharing and faith. Dr. Harris noted that while some families create fabrics of their own, some purchase fabrics from local weavers of the African diaspora. The Mazao are crops. Crops of the African diaspora include okra, watermelon, yams, black-eyed peas, and hot peppers, among others. The Muhindi are ears of corn. Corn represents prosperity and is placed on the table to recognize the abundance and blessings of youth. The Kikombe Cha Umoja is the unity cup. Zawadi are gifts. The seven day holiday is full of the colors black, red, and green and represents the people of the African diaspora, their struggle, and the future. 

Francis asked how Dr. Harris celebrates the holiday. Dr. Harris responded that her Kwanzaa today looks different than in her young girlhood. As a youth, she celebrated with her mother and father. Then with her mother. Now by herself at her home, an eclectic group of friends by her side. She celebrates with an open house style event, inviting all races and ethnicities to join her in the holiday. It is mine and it must be respected, she remarked, but how I do it is not the same in other families. Kwanzaa is all about interpretation and experimentation. Some families focus deeply on symbolism. For others, it’s more of a shared meal examining historical roots. For others, Kwanzaa is a time for celebration with all varieties of people. There’s no one way to engage with the holiday, Dr. Harris said. 

The culinary historian voiced that one thing families share in the holiday is the power of the African people and the African diaspora. Our people are everywhere, Dr. Harris said, and that’s what makes us powerful. We are on every continent. The language of Kwanzaa is Swahili, which is a polyglot language. Swahili is a language that was adapted through trade. It takes some Arabic and some of Bantu-speaking communities of East Africa. 

Kwanzaa is a remembrance of the power of African people and the rich, cultural foods. Dr. Harris closed with an anecdote about her famous gingerbread. The author of 12 critically acclaimed books said that before the internet, she used to go from one radio station to the other with samples of her food to promote her cookbooks. At one radio station, she presented her gingerbread to Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X’s wife. The gingerbread is made with hot water and brings out a dense, fragrant flavor, Dr. Harris noted. Shabazz took one bite and said this reminds me of my grandmother, of the food she used to make around our dinner table. 

The dinner table is the centerpiece of Kwanzaa. It’s where intergenerational conversations happen. It’s where unity happens. In a time of derision, Kwanzaa brings unity to the African people, Dr. Harris said. 

It seems the dinner table is the beginning of unity, Francis said to Dr. Harris. For those who don’t celebrate Kwanzaa, do you suggest more dinner table conversation? Dr. Harris paused, deep in thought. It’s certainly a start, she said.