Easter Series: Food and African and African American Religion Part 8

Revivals and the centrality of the church in the lives of African Americans continued into the 1920s and 1930s. These were two important decades in American history in which southern-born African Americans migrated to the North in large numbers. Most migrated in search of better paying jobs and housing. Others fled to escape oppressive race relations and Jim Crow policies that begun after the end of Reconstruction (1877). Yet southern migrants did not abandon their tradition of church membership when they went North cities like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Newark, and New York. In addition to church membership, southern migrants brought with them a tradition of important yearly church programs and free food on special occasions such as Easter. One would see traditional dishes served along with dishes that became traditional on Easter such as pickled beets served on lettuce and garnished with whole hard boiled eggs and slices of onions. Here is a easy pickled beet recipe you can use for your coming Easter meal: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pickled_beets/