The Afros + Knives Miniseries: Devita Davison of FoodLab Detroit

“When I think about the movements that Black women have given us and have sustained just in this generation, I have to wonder why is it that people don’t listen to and follow Black women?” asked FoodLab Detroit Executive Director and co-founder of FoodLab Sydney Devita Davison, citing Black Lives Matter, Black Girl Magic, Free Our Girls, Say Her Name, Me Too, misogynoir, self-care, and intersectionality. 

Devita joins host Tiffani Rozier for the final episode of the Afros + Knives miniseries. Tune in to hear Devita discuss her life as a first-generation Detroiter, how Hurricane Sandy inspired her to return to her roots, and her work at the FoodLab, where a community of local culinary entrepreneurs is committed to dismantling racism within the food system. “For me, it is more important for our work to be guided by the voices of the people whose bodies sit at the intersection of oppression,” says Devita. “When those bodies become free, we all become free.” 

You can follow Devita’s work at @foodlabdetroit and foodlabdetroit.com and you can find her on Twitter at @devitadavison. Host Tiffani Rozier can be found at @cheftiffanirozier and @afrosandknives. Be sure to subscribe to and support Afros + Knives wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thank you so much to Traeger Wood Fired Grills and GLOBAL Cutlery USA for sponsoring this episode. In support of Afros + Knives, Traeger has also made a donation to support Kia Feeds The People, an initiative by  @kiacooks to fight hunger and food apartheid by supporting the Black and QTPOC community in Brooklyn. And GLOBAL Cutlery USA has donated knife kits to the seniors at Food and Finance High School, New York’s only culinary-focused public school, to use for their internships and work-study programs.