Rosa Park's thirteen nieces and nephews affectionately referred to her as "Auntie Rosa" and have vivid memories of her treating each of them as if they were her own children whether it was through advice or through a hot meal. Parks was from and grew up in the South, her cooking deriving from her roots, her favorites being collard greens and chicken and dumplings. Park's niece Sheila McCauley told the Baltimore Sun that "I can still smell the Sunday dinners that Auntie Rosa and grandma prepared when we were kids. She was a true Southern cook, often making dishes that had been passed down for generations."
As an avid podcast listener, over the summer I listened to a podcast about Rosa Park's recipes and was intrigued by how human she felt. After ten years, 2015 was the year in which many of Park's personal documents were released to the public. While all are fascinating with letters written between her and Martin Luther King Junior, among those history rich papers was Park's recipe for "featherlite pancakes". The recipe was found on the back of a banking envelope and seems pretty average until it instructs you to add peanut butter to the batter. While this ingredient seems out of the ordinary, it appears that in Tuskegee where Rosa was from, was famous for peanuts. African slaves also ate peanuts to supplement their diets and eventually became popular amongst the African American community.
The recipe is dated after the famous bus incident and gives insight into how Park's had struggled after taking a stand on the bus. She found it difficult to achieve employment and so her and her husband had to move to Detroit. Her loss of a job made things tight in their home, causing Rosa to be more frugal such as reusing papers. Some see that the recipe makes Rosa appear more human. Professor of History at Salisbury University in Maryland, Clara Smalls explained the importance of food and cooking for black Americans. She said that "Supper, was more than just nourishment. It was an uniter, a way to connect the family."
Park's nieces and nephews published a book called "Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her and Her Lessons" in which they include multiple of Rosa Park's recipes. Parks was a woman who will be remembered for generations, leading the fight for equality and through her food.
Sourcces:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/bs-fo-rosa-parks-recipes-cooking-20150217-story.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/02/526412114/rosa-parks-pancake-recipe-helps-us-see-the-human-side-of-a-hero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IznAeK-nYAM
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks
Thank you for writing this post about this more ordinary side of Rosa Parks, a woman who helped lead the push for civil rights. This is able to give us a bit more insight into the woman behind the legendary story of civil disobedience. I also liked how you explained how this document was able to provide clues as to what happened to Parks after her protest, due to the reuse of paper. I found it really interesting how someone who appears this normal in one aspect of her life was able to become such an iconic figure who sparked such a massive change in the US.
ReplyDeleteThis post is absolutely awesome! I love learning about history and food that align together! It was hilarious to me to read a pancakes recipe especially after I had them last night for dinner too! I actually found some interesting facts about some historical figures, one being President Lincoln, who would usually eat apples and bacon with coffee. Also, apparently Beethoven loved Mac N Cheese!
ReplyDeleteSource: https://feast.media/favorite-meals-of-your-favorite-historical-figures
Madison — interesting post on the side of Rosa Parks we don't usually see! We've always learned about Rosa Parks as brave lady who refused to give up her seat on a bus, as the person who sparked the Civil Rights Movement. However, what we don't usually see is the family-oriented, Southern cook Rosa Parks who struggled to make a living after her famous bus stand. It's interesting that she put peanut butter into her pancakes, a nod to her Tuskegee heritage. I found a quote that summarized the fact that although Rosa Parks will be known in history as someone who was brave and unrelenting, she was human. "She's human, and the pancakes are the most human thing."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sporkful.com/searching-for-rosa-parks-pancakes/