Introduction
thoughts of people. Harsh edicts are coined denying natural science. Lies
have been crafted and repeated over and over for generations. Systemic
racism and economic exploitation need poetry, novels, plays, jokes, and
especially movies that are devoted to blinding the people’s view of our own
interests. Exploitation of others needs fake news and grotesque whoppers.
Today’s teens suffer the fact that American society offers most of them only
one role: to be consumers. Overconsumption forges a cold and empty role in
a system of making money off money.
This book did not fall into the minds of those at the Freedom Center
and Institute. It sprouted in the painful crevices of economic crises. It was
discussed in the segregated housing enforced by a deadly, international,
biological enemy. It blossomed in the street heat of righteous indignation
and the demands for peace officers who work for the interest of community.
The book grew from idea to reality, pulled out of a collective psyche by
the liberatory possibility of a national, genuine process for racial healing
and transformation. Its young creators emotionally struggled against
the notion of staying in our protective structures while many others,
including many of the students’ parents and older siblings, went to work
in hospitals and clinics, in transportation and logistics, in construction,
and in public service as firefighters and other first responders. They were
not struggling to be let loose or carefree. It was an existential struggle
calling for the freedom to be of use.
Working within the circle
generates cultural and
political power.
Through dialectical dialogue students discovered that most people really
do not know the essence of other peoples. Whether the identity be race or
gender, age or nationality, or language or economic station, it became clear
that we live in a time and in a nation and on a planet that require us to rush
to get to know one another and figure out how all of us can best live together
in a life-giving manner. The students know that sharing food and nutrition is
life-giving and feeds not just the body, but the mind and soul as well. Their
acts of studying another culture, another language, and other basic foods
created mutual respect and friendship. They discovered the use of different
grains as part of the basic diet. Corn, rice, teff, and wheat took on cultural
identities among the students. The discussions brought excitement and joy.
The recipe exchange required commitment—first, to organize their
respective families into the immense vision and purpose of the process.
Then, in many cases they needed help in finding necessary ingredients.
They also brought members of their respective families into the cooking
process and, of course, into the family dinner. The discussions between
students, family members, extended relatives, educators, and many others
offer a modest and true recipe for constructing the World House.
Roy Wilson, Ed.D., Executive Director
Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center
Institute for Community Leadership
FROM A KITCHEN IN THE WORLD HOUSE 5