A pot of greens simmers on the stove. Mac and cheese grows golden in the oven. A slotted spoon drips with cornbread batter, and the smell of buttermilk fried chicken fills the air.
This meal is a beautiful spread that goes beyond sustenance alone.
Sunday dinners were a lifeline during enslavement. In “Soul Food as Cultural Creation,” essayist William C. Whit explains, “Saturday night was usually the time for distributing slave provisions. This made possible the tradition of a larger than normal Sunday dinner — a practice that has continued with minor modification in many African American households.”
It stuck for generations, evolving as our people crafted lives outside captivity.
The dinner allowed us to drop our shoulders and unwind, many for the first time all week. We cut up laughing, playing cards or dominos, dancing, and sharing the stories and knowledge that kept us bonded.
As cornerstones of the community, churches also became our restaurants. After service, folks filled church basements where long dining tables held the most delicious feasts.
Sunday dinner was a ritual for us, a sacred gathering space, and a way to begin the week in good spirits. Time, distance, and money make it hard for some families to continue this beloved tradition today.
A good meal has healing power; even if things are different, connecting with loved ones is a weekly ritual worth continuing. How can you connect with your chosen family or kinfolk for a meal this week?