African American Food: Recent Developments: Personalities and Presence

The most famous (and one of the most vocal) African American interested in food at the beginning of the twenty-first century is Michelle Obama, first lady of the United States and wife of Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States. While not without controversy, Michelle Obama has become a passionate advocate against childhood obesity and has sought to promote more healthful eating habits. Under her direction, the White House garden was planted, including heirloom varieties and traditional African American food plants like hot peppers, sweet potatoes, and okra. Mrs. Obama has become a national role model for best practices in the food community by publicly shopping and supporting farmer’s markets and drawing attention to the issue of better food access.