
Soul Food Justice: The Bean Pie
This week I made the acquaintance of a food I’d never met before – the bean pie. By name alone, I was anticipating a savory southwestern dish, and was surprised to encounter a dessert not unlike sweet potato pie. Bean pies have been popularized by the Nation of Islam as an alternative to the rich foods commonly associated with African American cuisine, and became a fundraising staple of Black Muslims by the 1960s. Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation for over 40 years, o