Culturally Consistent Adaptation: Reconciling Views of Black Food in “High on the Hog” and “They’re Trying to Kill Us”

Yet, I don’t think we have to see High on the Hog and They’re Trying to Kill Us as contradictory cinematic presentations. Per High on the Hog, we should celebrate the richness, diversity, and resilience embodied in Black American cuisine. But, per They’re Trying to Kill Us, perhaps we can focus on this adaptability as a weapon against racism as the defining feature, and recognize that a 21st century adaptation to counter the systematic attack on Black health by the interdependent market-driven force of government and meat, dairy, packaged food, and pharmaceutical companies, would require a turn toward food sovereignty and plant-based cuisine. With the rise of unapologetic vegan and food reformer Eric Adams in New York, black Vegan influencers such as Tracye McQuirter (author of By Any Greens Necessary), and prominence of Vegan Black athletes such as the NBA’s Chris Paul (a producer of They’re Trying to Kill Us), this movement is daily growing energy and momentum.