James Weldon Johnson’s Foodie Life

In season 3 of The Zest, we spoke with Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie about his book Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food. In this week’s episode, Dr. Opie is back to shed light on the role food played in the life of another Harlem Renaissance-era Floridian, James Weldon Johnson. The Jacksonville native lived from 1871 to 1938.Dr.  Opie is an author and professor at Babson College outside of Boston. He explains how Jim Crow laws affected what Johnson ate, and how Johnson's eating habits were influenced by his time as a diplomat in Central America. Related episodes: Zora Neale Hurston’s Foodie Life Toni Tipton-Martin Celebrates African-American Chefs in ‘Jubilee’ How Florida Became “the Birthplace of Fusion Cuisine” Celebrating Grande Dame Chef Edna Lewis