In a powerful tribute to the enduring strength of Black storytelling, more than 60 attendees gathered on April 23 at Howard University’s Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library in Northwest D.C to celebrate the official launch of Blackfolkways.com.
A historic collaboration between Howard University and Georgetown University, the central mission of Black Folkways is to elevate African American narratives through digitization and embracing cultural traditions.
As African American studies programs across the country face erasure in schools and institutions like the Smithsonian due to federal mandates, this partnership between Georgetown and Howard stands as an inspiring counterforce to cultural erosion.
The website, themed “Black Folkways: A Celebration of Food, Storytelling, and Resilience,” embraces intergenerational Black cultural storytelling and emphasizes the power of oral histories, passed-down recipes, and shared life experiences.
“Storytelling holds us together and reminds us who we are as a people,” said website launch attendee Stene M. Johnson.
Designed to amplify Black storytelling through an evolving archive of audio, video, and visual stories, the website offers a vital digital home for voices often left unheard.
The new website spans the cultural landscapes of the Bahamas, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Washington, D.C.
Mia Massimino, director of creative projects at Georgetown University’s Racial Justice Institute, emphasized the importance of the website.
“Resilience is survival, but resilience is also joy. Not just getting through the hard times, but how we uplift people.”
Responsible for website creation and digitizing histories, Massimino continued, “Through this project, we gained respect for how Black people thrive and survive in community. In times like these, people need to be reminded to share joy with each other. Storytelling is a beautiful way of sharing both joy and resilience.”
Preserving Memory Through Food, Storytelling and Resilience
Dr. Anita Gonzalez, professor of Performing Arts and African American Studies at Georgetown and co-founder of its Racial Justice Institute, expressed deep appreciation for the stories highlighted at the launch of the website.
“This event honors intergenerational storytellers who gave of themselves and their stories through participation in this project. Giving of one’s story is not without cost. It isn’t free. It costs life experience, emotion, culture, and resilience,” Gonzalez said.” We want to lead the example in research that gives as much back to the participants as it receives. Thus, honoring all involved with a celebration of food and storytelling was of critical importance to us.”
During the event, participants were invited to record their own oral histories on-site, an opportunity cherished by the many seniors present, including Akua Kouyate-Tate, a third-generation D.C. resident.
“We often forget how important our stories are for those after us,” said Kouyate-Tate, 68.
She noted how the power of live storytelling is especially pertinent to the preservation of family legacies, not just for current generations but those to come.
“My daughter and I conducted an oral history project on six generations living in a D.C. community,” Kouyate-Tate related. “Through the process of interviewing that community, my daughter was enriched by learning more about her own grandmother, who had a tremendous impact on that very community.”
A Proud Collaboration for Health, Culture and Future Generations
The partnership between Howard and Georgetown Universities symbolizes a critical bridge across both health and culture.
Alisa Byers, chief of staff at Georgetown’s Center for Medical Humanities and Health Justice, emphasized the event’s transformative mission.
“Medical humanities can change lives,” Byers said. “Medical humanities focuses on habits, patterns, and learned behaviors that shed light on mental health, body functions, and even disease. We are able to learn critical information that can transform disease and ultimately save lives through health patterns, habits, and disease details, which are all revealed through storytelling.”
Lauded as a “celebration of food, storytelling, and resilience,” the event was especially meaningful to Jeslyn Miller, a Howard alumna and event vendor who considered it a full circle moment for her and her business, which is approaching its 10th anniversary.
“The theme of resilience resonates throughout my life,” said Miller, founder of Unique and Lovely Empowering Apparel & Accessories. “I have taken a lot of personal losses that made me angry and momentarily give up. Ultimately, I chose to rebuild to uplift not only myself, but others through my business and my personal story.”
The launch of Blackfolkways.com is not merely about preserving stories; it is about reclaiming space, fostering connection, and affirming that Black cultural resilience continues to flourish despite the tides that may threaten to erase it.
“Food and unity bring people together,” Johnson, 73, declared. “It is our culture and legacy to preserve our stories for future generations.”
Resiliency is a must have skill, especially during these days and times.
Thank you so much for acknowledging the Black Folkways project! It’s an important resource in documenting African American presence and contributiion to DC’s history and culture. I want to correct something I shared with you: Not 6, but 5 generations of our family lived in our NE home during the 72 years of residence there, and I am of the 3rd generation, however one of the 1st generation born in DC as my parents and grandmother were of the great migration of African Americans who moved from the south (South Carolina and North Carolina) to DC. Thank you again.
It was lovely following up with you via email. I enjoyed the added clarification that though many generations of your family have grown up in DC, you are the 3rd generation. We take pride in expressing everyone’s story and are happy to make updates whenever possible. All the best to you.