TribLive Black History Month series aims to preserve history, legacy, stories

I recently looked in the back of a large recipe book, searching for something I could make with ingredients I already had. From the very back of the book, a purple envelope dropped out and landed at my feet. I picked it up, smiling at the recent memory of my grandma, Joyce Anthony, giving me the card this past Mother’s Day.

On the front of the envelope, in my grandmother’s script, was the word “Shay.”

When I pulled open the flap, inside was a letter from my grandma. The letter described a brief story about how my great-great-grandmother, Emma Thompson-Gwathney, came to New Jersey in 1905, the place where I am from and where much of my family still lives. The letter also described the contents of the envelope: three recipe cards detailing my great-great-grandmother Emma’s potato dinner rolls recipe, which was passed down to my great-grandmother Ella-Louise Gwathney, my grandmother’s mother and the woman who I was named after.

The potato rolls became a staple at the Sunday family dinners where my aunts, uncles and cousins all gathered at my great-grandmother’s house, anticipating their comforting taste.

Reading the letter back, I felt a deep sense of connection to my family, to their spirit and to the character of my great-grandmothers — imagining them cooking with so much love and joy, handling each step with care. It dawned on me that my grandmother’s thoughtful and intentional gift would not have been possible without the preservation of our family history and the sharing and storytelling of our legacy.

The potato dinner rolls are part of the arsenal of my family’s Black history.

I came to Pittsburgh a little over a year ago with the mission to showcase and celebrate Black joy, triumph and the great things happening in Pittsburgh’s Black communities, as well as other diverse communities in the region.

I’ve had the privilege of writing about the Hill District, the KRUNK Movement in Hazelwood, Action Housing, Juneteenth, and Black wellness and yoga with Fete-Fete.

Within this past year, I have shared the profiles of Black and brown people moving Pittsburgh forward, like Michelle Walker, Afro-Latina opera singer Zuly Inirio and vocalist Aryana Kapree. I’ve explored Black love stories in Pittsburgh and highlighted Khalil Darden’s Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens (YBMKQ). I have examined the harms of chemical hair straighteners, sharing the story of 1Hood Media’s director of education, visual artist Jasmine Green. I have canvassed some of Pittsburgh’s staple Black restaurants, such as Drew Allen’s Showcase BBQ in Homewood and Nafees Moorefield’s Grandma B’s in the Hill District. I’ve learned more about the legacy of playwright August Wilson and the uniqueness of his talent, which has permanently cemented Pittsburgh’s Black history.

Pittsburgh is rich with Black history, Black present and Black future.

The celebration, preservation and excitement about that history are crucial, now more than ever.

At a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 28, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question about the Trump Administration celebrating Black History Month amid the anti-DEI initiatives: “As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed, have made to our great country, and America is back,” Leavitt said.

Additionally, new standards have come out regarding teaching African American history in places like Florida, that are teaching students kindergarten through grade 12 students that some Black people benefited from enslavement.

The contributions of Black Americans to this country cannot be devalued. The style, art, creativity, labor and resilience of Black Americans have all been foundational to this nation. To not see ourselves in that history would be a great tragedy.

This year, for Black History Month, I will focus on celebrating and documenting the history of Black arts in Pittsburgh. These stories will highlight dance, music and literature. Within that context, there will also be discussions around mental health, an exploration of how Pittsburgh’s Black history is being preserved, and an examination of the presence — and then absence — of Pittsburgh’s Black middle class. Finally, I will explore how to keep the next generation energized about Black history.

In a recent article that I wrote on Martin Luther King III, I was reminded through our conversation that we are all living legacies. Remembering this helps me understand that Black History Month is not just an heirloom to recite and recall the deep tragedies and trauma that are an inescapable part of the Black experience.

But Black History Month is also a reminder that, in spite of all this, as Black people in Pittsburgh and beyond, we are creating Black history and thriving every day. Hopefully, the daily creation of this history will make it possible for future generations, and a great-great-granddaughter or grandson might pick up a letter or an article and be reminded of the power, love, creativity and agency that exists within them.