This is a representation of my great grandmother’s staple food: biscuits. Though the recipe, or lack thereof, originated on my paternal grandmother's’ side with my third great grandmother, it was in the 1930’s that my great-grandmother is believed to have begun watching her make them. At the time, it was imperative for African American women to learn to cook and provide food not only for their families but, if possible, for their neighbors as well. By the 1950’s, my great grandmother had mastered a craft of her own. After moving to a neighborhood in Spartanburg, SC, which was little in size but never little in population; people began to flock to her home for a plate of food. Whether out of necessity or as payment for mowing a lawn, her biscuits, fed an entire community. 
When my grandmother was coming of age in the 60’s, it was these very biscuits that brought not only our family but also neighbors and friends together, teaching togetherness and peace when there was so little. When my dad was growing up in the 80’s, those same biscuits continued to unite family, encouraging them to gather. Today, no one holds the recipe to my great grandmother's seemingly effortless biscuits, but their memory still sparks joy and laughter as my family recounts stories of her and the impact she had on our lives. 
This staple of Spartanburg, goes beyond just food. These biscuits not only held simple ingredients, but hardship, confidence, and pride. In a time of exclusion by other groups, they welcomed the interconnectedness of African Americans in the mid to late 1900’s.

– NC

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more