Until the Grave Groaned

They tried to bury us, but they forgot one thing about the soil... Sunday Supper Newsletter

Welcome to Sunday Supper!

Set the Table

Say your grace

Prayer - Dear God, Let our feet never forget the rhythm of those who danced before we were born. Amen.

Affirmation - My fortitude is a strength.

Gratitude - I am grateful for Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s scholarship.

I am grateful for every reader, subscriber, commenter, and those who share this newsletter with others.

The Main Dish

Dig in

Until the Grave Groaned

Evil tried to crush our voice, extinguish our language.
We stared evil in the eye, turned the whip-cracks into field hollers, the belting blues, the country-grit,
the brass of jazz, the revolutionary rap— new musical lexicons.

Evil tried to bury us; we tasted the dust,
spat it out as a Lindy Hop and a Charleston kick.
Our shoulders shook the Harlem Shake
and Bankhead Bounce until the grave groaned.

Evil tried to disconnect us, but the thread held.
We're a tapestry of hope woven too tight for a blade to find the seam.

It tried to poison our zip codes,
but we turned brownfields into lush gardens where grit and grace grew tall.

Evil tried to haunt our children, but they grew in soil watered with our ancestors’ heavy, holy harmonies.

Evil tried to kill us. We don’t die—we multiply. We rise as Maya’s stillness,
Ida’s indictment,
Langston’s dream-song,
Nikole’s unflinching record.

Sankofa.

Evil tried to erase us, so we made Black History a monument of days. We do not surrender. Evil tried to destroy us,
but it will never understand our staying power.

We are still here.

Pot Likker and Cornbread Crumbs

There’s flavor in the small things.

We are still here!

Table Talk

Join the Conversation

In the comments, share one 'holy harmony,’ a song, a recipe, or a word of wisdom that has been passed down to you.

Potluck

From Our Community Kitchen: Book, Music, Art, Substack Recommendation

Book

Music

Happy Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

The second line is literal dancing until the grave groaned.

Photography

Derek Bridges https://www.flickr.com/photos/derek_b/3309881957/

Substack Recommendation

Underground railroad in NYC, Black newspapers close, FAMU admits 'mistake'

Recipe Exchange

Reinvention

My dad’s least favorite dessert was king cake. Every time I see one, I think of him, and I see one every year during mardi gras.

Instead of sharing the recipe for classic king cake. I am sharing my twist, a savory king cake. My dad would have preferred this version.

If you try it, let me know.

Here is a little history on the king cake.

Seafood King Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough sheets
  (or regular crescents, pinch seams closed)

• ½ lb shrimp, peeled & chopped

• ½ lb crawfish tails (thawed if frozen)

• 1 tbsp butter

• ½ cup diced onion

• ½ cup diced bell pepper

• 1 celery stalk, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1–2 tsp Cajun seasoning

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack

• 2 tbsp chopped green onions

• Optional: splash of hot sauce

• 1 egg (for egg wash)

Cook the Filling

• Melt butter in a skillet.

• Sauté onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft.

• Add garlic (30 seconds).

• Add shrimp + crawfish; cook just until shrimp turn pink.

• Season with Cajun seasoning.

• Let cool slightly, then mix in cream cheese, shredded cheese, green onions, and hot sauce.

Important: Let filling cool before assembling so it doesn’t melt the dough.

2. Assemble the Ring

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

• On a lined baking sheet, arrange the crescent dough into a circle, with the wide ends overlapping in the center and the points facing outward (like a sun).

• Spoon filling in a ring over the wide ends.

• Fold the pointed ends over the filling and tuck underneath to form a wreath shape.

Brush with egg wash.

3. Bake
   Bake 20–25 minutes until golden brown and flaky.

Let cool slightly before slicing.

Dessert

A Sweet Send-Off