The Afros + Knives Miniseries: The Okra Project with Ianne Fields Stewart

“I have for a very long time seen that the world was unjust,” said Ianne Fields Stewart, actor, activist, and founder of The Okra Project. “To me, the solutions seem simple.” Ianne, a Black queer nonbinary transfeminine New York-based storyteller, wanted to do something about Black Trans People experiencing a lack of community, family, and food insecurity. The result was The Okra Project, a collective that pays Black Trans chefs to make home-cooked, healthy, and culturally-specific meals. “The joy of looking at someone who’s cooking a meal for you, who’s chosen you, and to see a piece of yourself in them—there is nothing more beautiful and powerful,” said Ianne. The Okra Project has expanded to include cooking classes, grocery funds, and more, and Ianne’s big goal for the group is to one day have a brick-and-mortar location for its community.

Ianne joins Chef Tiffani Rozier, the host of the Afros + Knives podcast, for a special edition of her show on Radio Cherry Bombe. All month long, Chef Tiffani will be speaking with Black women at the intersection of food and social justice about their life, their work, and their organizations.