SWEET POTATO OR PUMPKIN PIE?

Aug 23

Sweet Potato Pie or Pumpkin Pie? an often debated topic among black households during thanksgiving (mostly). As silly as it seems, this is what my research this week focused on, I wanted to see how many historymakers liked Sweet Potato Pie and how many liked Pumpkin Pie and the memories attached to both dishes.

I decided to start with Sweet Potato Pie, and when I looked up “Sweet Potato Pie” in our advance search tool, I got 99 results, most of who listed Sweet Potato Pie as being their favorites. But two interviews stuck out to me the most; the first one is from the Honorable Ras Baraka, the former mayor of Newark, New Jersey. In his interview, he described it as being a smell he associates with his childhood, “ your mother cooking in the kitchen, sweet potato pie, and you know chicken gizzards, and you know, looking out the backyard when I’m looking out the window into the backyard, kids playing.” The following interview was from singer Alfreda Burke, who also associated the pie with her childhood. “…. her famous coconut pineapple cakes, sweet potato pies, and mincemeat pies….there were always relatives coming over, coming in and out so, so they, she would always have the table spread for them.” I particularly liked these two interviews because you can tell that both HistoryMakers relate this pie to fond memories of their childhood; there is a connection between Sweet Potato Pie and the black family at the end of it all. It should also be noted that other historymakers that like Sweet Potato Pie include; John Lewis, Calvin Coolidge, Danny Glover, and James Avery.

Following my look into Sweet Potato Pies, I went into our advance search again and looked for “Pumpkin Pie,” and only yielded seven results. Not to say that Sweet Potato Pie won by a long shot, but it did not give the same results as my Sweet Potato search. Nonetheless, I began looking into the different interviews that talked about Pumpkin Pie. Reverend Dr. Mable John discussed her mothers cooking in her interview; when asked what types of smells she remembers from her childhood, she responded, “Sweet potato pie, coconut layer cake, chocolate cake, caramel cake, mincemeat pies, and pumpkin pies.” Documentary Filmmaker Orlando Bagwell recounts his family’s holiday celebrations in his interviews; when asked to give a list of the food he saw during festivities, he stated, “Turkey, stuffing, macaroni and cheese…. mincemeat pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie.” I found myself wondering how even in discussions about pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie always seems to come up. I ended up deciding to leave that topic for another blog post.

Interestingly enough, after looking for interviews to compare the two I found myself with another topic of interest. The connection between Sweet Potato Pie and the Black community or the Black Family. It seems to be a staple in major events that involve alot of cooking and that is something that I definitely want to look into as a future blog post topic.

Ambassador Update:

I have officially started my first week of classes; I am excited about the new information and events that will appear throughout the year. My school (Spelman College) has made our museum available to the public once again since COVID started, and on one of my off days, I decided that I wanted to go and take a peek at the different displays that are being shown. I also completed my first Glee Club performance as a sophomore last week, singing at my school’s opening convocation on Thursday!

Sources:

The Honorable Ras Baraka (The HistoryMakers A2017.213), interviewed by Harriette Cole, December 4, 2017, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 10, The Honorable Ras Baraka describes the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood

Alfreda Burke (The HistoryMakers A2013.231), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 20, 2013, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 11, Alfreda Burke describes the sights, sounds, and smells of her childhood, pt. 1

Orlando Bagwell (The HistoryMakers A2007.339), interviewed by Adrienne Jones, December 17, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Orlando Bagwell remembers the holidays with his family

Reverend Dr. Mable John (The HistoryMakers A2007.326), interviewed by Jacques Lesure, November 7, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 7, Reverend Dr. Mable John remembers her mother's cooking

Milena Clark

Hello, My name is Milena Clark. I am a current Sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. I live in Maryland with my parents, Lance Clark (Sr.) and Shawn Washington-Clark, and I have one older brother named Lance Clark (Jr.). I was a military child growing up, and due to this, I have lived in many different places. I was born in Washington State and lived in Virginia and South Carolina but Maryland is where I have lived the longest, for about eleven years now. My family has deep roots in Charleston, South Carolina. Both my parents grew up there and the majority of my extended family lives in the state. When it comes to my love for history, I would have to give it to my father. He really got me involved in different aspects of history that I know come to enjoy. I am extremely thankful to be chosen as an Ambassador for History Makers.

SWEET POTATO OR PUMPKIN PIE?

Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Southern Black Food Culture and Family Traditions

“Sweet Potato Pie or Pumpkin Pie?”