Plants and the Black Experience

Click the images below to listen to a short narrative about each plant's deep connection with enslaved Africans and their descendants, and their influence on cuisines in the Americas today.

Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Black-eyed Pea

Vigna unguiculata

Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Collard Greens

Brassica oleracea

Corn

Zea mays

Carolina Gold Rice

Oryza sativa ‘Carolina Gold’

African Rice

Oryza glaberrima

Sorghum

Sorghum bicolor

Pearl Millet

Pennisetum glaucum

Taro

Colocasia esculentis

Amaranth

Amaranth spp.

Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus

Peanut

Arachis hypogaea

Castor Bean

Ricinus communis

Bottle Gourd

Lagenaria siceraria

Cotton

Gossypium hirsutum

Indigo

Indigofera tinctoria

George Washington Carver

Carver is an inspiration to today’s challenges in food systems and environmental justice.