“African American food culture is one of the only aspects of African American identity that represents an unbroken line from Africa to present-day America.” -Micheal Twitty
Summer 2021 Virtual Programming
THE BGC SUMMER OF FOOD
The BGC Summer of Food is sponsored by:
- The West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation
- Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation
DATES:
COHORT 2
- Program Dates: July 26th- August 13th
- Time: 11am- 3pm
- Application Deadline: Saturday, June 19th at 5pm. You will be notified of your application status by June 26th.
The application process for Black Girls Cook is highly competitive, so please be sure to read each question in its entirety and thoroughly answer each question. Additionally every applicant will not be accepted into the summer cohorts, however we will host programming again in the Fall.
- Who: Adolescent girls of color between the ages of 10 and 15 years old that reside in zip codes 21215, 21216, 21217, 21223 or 21229 (city limits) and attend attends Baltimore City Public Schools ONLY!
- Please note that due to the requirements enacted by our summer programming funders, if you live outside of the specifications listed above, your application will not be considered for Summer 2021 programming.
- What: The BGC Summer of Food is a 3-week comprehensive summer program that combines each of BGC’s core food related programs (cooking, baking, and edible gardening) in addition to learning about black foodways. It is important for participants to learn how the foods they know and love made it to the United States via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
- Where: All classes will be taught virtually.
- When: There will be two (2) cohorts this summer. Please apply to the cohort (only apply to one) that is best for your schedule
- Why: About half of African-American women in the U.S. are obese, compared to 30 percent of white women. Research suggests the problem starts in childhood and is correlated with girls living in poverty, struggles with food insecurity, a lack of accessible healthy food options, and dependence on convenience store food. Black Girls Cook aims to alleviate these disparities by offering culinary training and nutrition education to young girls of color. Culinary classes are not affordable for many families and most programs are designed for adults, not children. Home economic courses like cooking are no longer required in schools across the country. Therefore BGC intentionally creates programming that educates adolescent girls of color from underserved communities.