We had such a great time at the Root + Bloom event. During this event we premiered the “Food as Resistance” documentary and shared with the community the vision of the GRITS’ Campus. Please subscribe and stay connected for more updates on this special project.
Check out some highlights for the special night below and visit our Facebook Page for even more photos.
Note From Founder
As I write this, I’m sitting outside getting ate up by mosquitos, drinking milk tea. This moment reminds me of when I lived in Los Angeles. Not the mosquitos, but the tea. I had milk tea for the first time when I moved to Cali. It definitely wasn’t anything close to southern sweet tea.
Before I continue with this story, for transparency purposes, I want to pause and say I am now writing this sitting on the couch. I love the South, but I can do without the mosquitos.
Speaking of my love for the South, I remember when I decided to move back to the South. I was in Portfolios, my favorite coffee shop in Long Beach, most likely studying for my Registered Dietitian’s exam and taking a break to listen to a podcast. I came across this random podcast episode (well, at least at the time, it felt random) and heard Michael Twitty speak for the first time. He described the rich connection between food and African American culture and how these origins began in the South.
It was refreshing to hear someone not from the south talk so highly of it. In my experiences, people always had negative things to say about where I came from.
But I connected so much to what he was saying, and following that moment, I found myself in the bathroom of Portfolios crying. I was crying because I knew I had to surrender this idea of what I thought I wanted – life on the beach in California, for what I needed, Purpose in the South.
So, I eventually made my way back home. It wasn’t a straight path journey. There were lots of bumps and turns, but as I navigated them, I came to GRITS, and it began to make even more sense why I needed to go back home.
Home is not just where I’m from. Home is where purpose is.
I needed to be in purpose.
This journey in purpose has led me here to this day, and that’s why your presence and support mean so much. Thank you for being part of this journey.
All glory to God.
-Sade Meeks
Executive Director/Founder
Thanks for your Support, Sponsorship, and Donations
