Finger Lickin' Good

Finger lickin' good.  That's the only way to describe the cooking at Mike's second annual Black History Month party on March 6, 2022.  Mike fixed fried chicken, and Heidi baked corn bread and pecan pies.  I brought hoppin' john (rice and black-eyed peas), fruit salad, and lemonade.  

Eliza and Audrey showed us how to really enjoy our food.

I propped a poster of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s next to our dinner table.

The guests included Dave and me; Mike, Heidi and Audrey; Spencer, Naomi, and Eliza; Jono and Sarah; and Carol Garza.  Dave and I have four grandchildren graduating from BYU this spring—Grant, Meg, Naomi, and Sarah.  I talked with Naomi and Sarah at dinner about their excitement about graduating.  Naomi still has to defend her Ph.D. dissertation, but she says she will “walk” in April, anyway.  

Jono's wife, Sarah, is just taking one final class this semester.  She finished her midterm exam and has only one more test until she is completely done with college.  Jono has a couple more years at BYU, and is transferring into an informational systems major.

Dave is my sous chef when we entertain at home.  He was relieved not to have to help with this dinner.

Our neighbor, Carol, agreed to come with us to dinner and see Mike's beautiful house.

Heidi is a great cook, and very generous to share her home with us.

Mike's upstairs family room, where we ate, is spacious and beautiful.

After dinner, Mike ushered us into his theater, where he showed short videos of five distinguished black leaders.

Colin Powell was a top U.S general and Secretary of State.

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, taught himself to read, escaped from his slave owner, and became a powerful lobbyist for black freedom before and after the Civil War.

Harriet Tubman was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, bringing black slaves to the North and freedom.

Michael Jordan was one of the NBA's foremost stars.

Rosa Parks sparked one of the most successful Civil Rights protests when she refused to sit in the back of a public bus in Alabama.