From Kitchen to Courtroom Redux: Dealing With Race in America

·55 min·5 clips

Hubie Jones left Martin Luther King's 1956 speech feeling like he was levitating, a moment that sealed his lifelong commitment.

Host Billy Shore opens the episode from Boston and Washington, D.C., introducing his two guests: Chef Jerome Grant, the inaugural chef at the National Museum of African American History and Culture's Sweet Home Cafe, and Hubie Jones, a longtime civil rights advocate and former dean of Boston University's School of Social Work. Grant shares how his multicultural upbringing and family influences, including his Filipino mother's journey in food service, shaped his culinary path and led him to the museum. Jones recounts early influences from his father, a Pullman porter involved with A. Philip Randolph, and his psychology professor Kenneth Clark, who contributed to the Brown v. Board of Education social science brief. Jones vividly describes attending a 1956 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. that inspired his lifelong commitment to social justice. Grant explains the concept behind Sweet Home Cafe as an 'edible exhibit' that traces African American migration through regional cuisines, emphasizing its role in storytelling alongside the museum's artifacts. He reflects on the emotional weight of opening the museum in 2016 and meeting visitors who saved for years to attend. The discussion touches on historical figures like Thomas Downing, a Black oysterman who aided the Underground Railroad, and the recent passing of Creole chef Leah Chase. Grant details a specific dish, son-of-a-gun stew, which originated from African American chuckwagon workers using scraps. Jones outlines his advocacy work, including founding the Mass Advocates for Children after discovering 10,000 children were excluded from Boston public schools in the 1968, leading to Massachusetts' pioneering special education law. He also describes founding the Boston Children's Chorus to foster social integration through music. Both guests offer perspectives on addressing racial divides, with Jones stressing the need for broad education and political mobilization, and Grant emphasizing personal responsibility and mutual understanding. The episode concludes with Grant recommending a menu item and Jones highlighting the importance of leader accessibility.

As heard by us

Jerome Grant's son-of-gun stew turns a museum dish into a lesson in labor, migration, and cultural exchange.

Food opens the door to history and public life in this conversation with Jerome Grant, the inaugural chef from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Hubie Jones, whose Boston history is framed as reaching back before the host's 20-year connection to…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play when you want son-of-gun stew to carry you from railroad chuckwagons to Sweet Home Cafe at the African American history museum.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Add Passion and Stir