Student projects- OREOLUWA BADAKi

This summer, with the help of the CEE Summer Research Grant, OreOluwa Badaki ( Pictured in the first image) ran the first round of workshops for the Food Justice Writing Group: an intergenerational community of writers, creatives, storytellers, and media makers invested in food and environmental justice. OreOluwa and The Food Justice Writing Group began  researching and writing their first project: a speculative fiction screenplay that centers the history and relevance of okra in Black food traditions and histories. The script is being co-written by OreOluwa Badaki and  Black youth (age 14-18) who are working on food justice and sovereignty in their communities. The workshops center the people, places, plants, and politics relevant to Black foodways. They center these elements as they learn the art of script and screenwriting to  tell stories that build on food, farming, and literacy traditions spread throughout the African Diaspora. This was an opportunity for young people to activate their creativity and criticality as they help to archive, as well as re-imagine, the stories and experiences important to Black foodways.  In addition, many of the young people involved in the project have never had the opportunity to look closely at what a career in screen or playwriting, or any sort of creative writing, might look like. This project also serves as a way for them to explore new career paths in food and environmental justice. OreOluwa Badaki  I wrote about this project for Environmental Health News that can be found HERE...