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Strange Fruit: On 'Queen Sugar,' Pie Is More Than Just Pie

OWN

Aunt Vi, the matriarch of the family on Ava DuVernay's "Queen Sugar," knows her way around a kitchen. Not only can she cook, but she bakes a mean pie -- a skill that becomes a side business.

Aunt Vi's pies became like a character unto themselves. She's in sort of a second act in her life, finding love again after an abusive relationship.

Dr. Tanisha Ford is an associate professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware -- and a huge "Queen Sugar" fan. She says Aunt Vi's story line started her thinking about what pie making has meant for black women, and what it means for a woman like Aunt Vi in particular.

She joins us this week to talk about how food is central to how we understand community, andhow "Queen Sugar" uses food as a way to have deeper political conversations about capitalism and appropriation.

Laura is LPM's Director of Podcasts & Special Projects. Email Laura at lellis@lpm.org.