Sweet Remembrance: Chocolate Memories in the Archive
For many, chocolate is more than a flavor—it’s a memory. Inside The HistoryMakers Digital Archive, dozens of African Americans share tender, funny, and heartfelt recollections of chocolate that connect food to family, tradition, and joy.
Valerie Wilson Wesley
Valerie Wilson, former president of the Atlanta Economic Development Corporation and executive editor of Essence Magazine, recalls one such moment from her time in nursery school on a military base.
“I remember that I wanted chocolate milk. Everyone else wanted regular milk... so I told my father I had gotten the white milk like everybody else,” she shares.
But her father’s response stuck with her:
“Never be afraid to be different... You should have gotten what you wanted.”
What began as a simple childhood preference became a powerful lesson in individuality—one she carried through adulthood.
Rev. Dr. Mable John
Rev. Dr. Mable John, the first female solo artist signed to Motown Records, shared the warmth of her family’s holiday traditions in Arkansas:
“My mother was a great cook. She would start cooking five to seven days before Christmas… She made everything from scratch.”
Among the desserts: sweet potato pie, coconut cake, caramel cake—and of course—“chocolate cake.”
“The smells were all over the house,” she said, describing the breads and pastries that not only nourished her family, but brought neighbors to their doorstep.
In her memory, chocolate is not just food—it’s legacy, love, and community.
Donzell Starks
Donzell Starks, co-owner of the legendary Ice Theater chain in Chicago, shared a tender memory of growing up in the Stateway Gardens housing projects:
“My mom, who is my grandmother now, she worked at Oscar Mayer for forty years. She’d pick me up from the Stateway Gardens projects… on the bus, and she’d have these marshmallow pies—that was chocolate and vanilla.”
Though he didn’t like living in the projects, those moments with his grandmother gave him something sweet to hold onto.
“That was cool,” he said. “That’s what I remember.”
The chocolate-covered marshmallow pie became a symbol of care, consistency, and love.
Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers
Joe Rogers, who later became Colorado’s youngest Lieutenant Governor, shared a vivid early memory from Omaha, Nebraska:
“I remember being probably four years old or so and saying, ‘Grandpa, can we get some cheeseburgers and get some onion rings, a chocolate shake over at the Kings Restaurant?’”
His grandfather would always pull over and take him.
“Those were the best tasting onion rings in the world.”
Yet behind that memory was hardship. His mother, a single parent of three boys, had relocated to Colorado after a divorce.
“We ended up being on that system we call welfare… but she was determined to keep us together.”
The chocolate shake became part of a larger story of resilience, love, and familial strength.
Rev. Dr. James Breeden
Rev. Dr. James Breeden reflected on one of his earliest childhood memories during Easter:
“The earliest [memory] I can remember is when my mother was in the hospital for an operation... and I was given a chocolate rabbit for... compensation for her being away from me at that time.”
Even though he questioned whether the memory was real or imagined, the feeling was true.
Chocolate, in this moment, was not just a treat—it was a soft stand-in for his mother’s absence, a symbol of comfort and care.
The Honorable Steen Miles
The Honorable Steen Miles, journalist and Georgia state senator, described magical winters in South Bend, Indiana:
“We’d go caroling... and people would invite us in and give us hot chocolate.”
She remembered snow tunnels, the scent of bacon frying, coffee brewing, and her mother’s biscuits rising in the oven.
“There was always a lot of family around—big family,” she said, “and a lot of love.”
In her memories, hot chocolate meant community—a sweet and warm symbol of togetherness and trust.
Dr. Ebenezer Bush
During World War II, Dr. Ebenezer Bush was stationed in Japan and sought refuge from the chaos of military life:
“There was so much gambling, cussing, and swearing... I said, ‘I wanna go somewhere.’”
While exploring the hills near Yokohama, he and another soldier knocked on the door of a Japanese home. Unsure whether they’d be welcomed, Dr. Bush offered a small gift.
“I pulled out my fatigue jacket and gave her a bar of chocolate candy... That chocolate was the ticket to getting in there.”
What followed was a night of tea, piano music, and connection with a Japanese family.
“We became very, very good friends... I had a lot of good memories of Japan.”
In this story, chocolate became diplomacy, kindness, and humanity.
Martha Reeves
Legendary singer Martha Reeves recalled her very first memory of performing—at just three years old at her grandfather’s church in Detroit:
“I remember... singing with my two older brothers and actually winning the talent contest and being awarded some chocolate-covered cherries.”
She laughed as she recalled:
“They made me captain of the candy and I wouldn’t give them a piece unless they were nice to me.”
But that moment also ignited a dream. After seeing Lena Horne perform at Detroit’s Paradise Theatre, young Martha was transformed.
“She touched me in a way where I wished that I could be a singer... never knowing that that little dream... would become real.”
For Reeves, chocolate symbolized the joy of performing, the thrill of recognition, and the earliest spark of ambition.
Whether tucked into a Christmas memory with Steen Miles in snowy South Bend, or offered as a peace gesture in postwar Japan by Dr. Ebenezer Bush, chocolate emerges in the archive as more than just a treat—it becomes a vessel of meaning.
For Martha Reeves, chocolate-covered cherries were a child’s first taste of applause and ambition. For Dr. Andre Hornsby, porch-delivered chocolate milk was part of a nurturing community ritual. Dr. James Breeden recalls the comfort of a chocolate bunny given during his mother’s absence—perhaps imagined, but emotionally real. Joe Rogers remembers a milkshake shared with his grandfather in Omaha; Valerie Wilson, a carton of chocolate milk that sparked a lesson in individuality. Whether it was Donzell Starks finding refuge in marshmallow pies or Rev. Dr. Mable John recalling the aroma of holiday chocolate cake, these moments reveal that chocolate, in the lives of Black Americans, often meant joy, identity, love, comfort, and connection.
Across time and place, from homes and churches to foreign hillsides and concert halls, chocolate helps shape these early memories—not because of its flavor, but because of what it represents: belonging, sweetness in hardship, celebration, and the beginnings of dreams.
These stories, preserved in The HistoryMakers Digital Archive, remind us that chocolate is not just a dessert—it’s a thread that weaves through memory, legacy, and the fabric of our shared humanity.
Whether tucked into a Christmas memory with Steen Miles in snowy South Bend, or offered as a peace gesture in postwar Japan by Dr. Ebenezer Bush, chocolate emerges in the archive as more than just a treat—it becomes a vessel of meaning.
For Martha Reeves, chocolate-covered cherries were a child’s first taste of applause and ambition. For Dr. Andre Hornsby, porch-delivered chocolate milk was part of a nurturing community ritual. Dr. James Breeden recalls the comfort of a chocolate bunny given during his mother’s absence—perhaps imagined, but emotionally real. Joe Rogers remembers a milkshake shared with his grandfather in Omaha; Valerie Wilson, a carton of chocolate milk that sparked a lesson in individuality. Whether it was Donzell Starks finding refuge in marshmallow pies or Rev. Dr. Mable John recalling the aroma of holiday chocolate cake, these moments reveal that chocolate, in the lives of Black Americans, often meant joy, identity, love, comfort, and connection.
Citations
Valerie Wilson Wesley (The HistoryMakers A2017.079), interviewed by Larry Crowe, March 30, 2017, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 1, Valerie Wilson Wesley describes her earliest childhood memories
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
Donzell Starks (The HistoryMakers A2003.207), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 27, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 6, Donzell Starks remembers his first childhood memory
Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers (The HistoryMakers A2002.122), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, June 17, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 7, Joe Rogers describes his earliest memory
James Breeden (The HistoryMakers A2007.258), interviewed by Larry Crowe, September 12, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 8, James Breeden describes his earliest childhood memory
The Honorable Steen Miles (The HistoryMakers A2014.018), interviewed by Larry Crowe, February 21, 2014, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 2, story 4, The Honorable Steen Miles recalls her earliest childhood memories in South Bend, Indiana
Dr. Ebenezer Bush (The HistoryMakers A2002.214), interviewed by Larry Crowe, November 21, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 8, Dr. Ebenezer Bush talks about experiencing Japanese culture while serving there during World War II
Martha Reeves (The HistoryMakers A2005.022), interviewed by Larry Crowe, January 20, 2005, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 1, Martha Reeves recalls her early passion to become a singer