Q + AWhy Is Allison Dorsey Still Rising?“TELL ME WHAT YOU EAT, AND I’LL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.”By Alisa GiardinelliBecause this associate professor of historywas selected to participate in theNational Endowment for theHumanities Summer Institute on AmericanCivil Rights at Harvard this summer.Because her term as coordinator of Swarthmore’sBlack Studies Program—one inwhich she would like to see more studentspursue an honors minor—begins this fall.Because she has been asked to write abouther experiences teaching African Americanhistory for her field’s leading journal.Because she appears in an upcoming PBSdocumentary about Booker T. Washington.Because she assigns items such as pumpkinseeds and chili powder to students in herfreshman seminar. Because she was the onlyperson of color in her graduate program for8 consecutive years. Because she startedgraduate school with a 2-year-old and hadher second son 6 months before her Ph.D.exams. Because, for her, “the light switchwent on” about history’s relevance whileworking on the Martin Luther King Jr.Papers Project at Stanford. Because she sitson the board of Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia,dedicated to making all girls“strong, smart, and bold.” Because she findsit odd, although not bad, that she isn’tteaching more “kids like me—little blackgirls from the projects.” Because, 2 yearsago, she published her first book, suffered ahouse fire, saw her youngest son graduatefrom high school, and traveled to Gambia,West Africa—all in 1 month. Because thatbook, Building Our Lives Together: CommunityFormation in Black Atlanta, 1875–1906, led toher “rock star” moment, when PulitzerPrize–winning historian Leon Litwackasked her for a copy.Why did you go to Gambia?I went because I wanted to see cassavagrowing and to learn how people there eatand understand it. I discovered they understoodit as an ancient, traditional food ofAfrica. And it’s not, it’s from the Amazonbasin. Although the Portuguese brought itto West Africa, I suspect the knowledge ofhow to grow and process it is the work ofWest African women. They were the conduitsthat transformed it from an exoticSouth American food into something“African” in a very short period.Where did your interest in food as a way intohistory and culture originate?It was born in an Indian restaurant in theearly 1980s when I was trying to make senseof why there were white potatoes in EastIndian food. With no research, I decided,“The British did it.” Actually, the potatoeswere there before the British. So the inquirybegins there. I began reading about foodorigins but not understanding it as a fieldof study.And now you teach a freshman seminar,The History of Food in North America.In the second week, I give everyone a different,unidentified food item. They have toname it, determine its origin, develop a bibliographyabout it, and write about how ithas been marketed, developed, and adapted.It requires a certain amount of imagination.Those who really get into it include mythsand folklore. For our last class, we have adinner where everyone brings somethingthey’ve made with their food.What is your idea of earthly happiness?A couple of bottles of Argentinean Malbec;good bread; great cheese; my husband,Brian; and 8 or 10 friends and neighborsoutside on a hot August afternoon.What is the lowest depth of misery?Facing a struggle without the support ofloving family and friends.When do you feel most indulgent?When I’m in my kitchen, wearing my apron,baking anything with chocolate.Who are your heroes of fiction?The Count of Monte Cristo because he freeshimself and claims his life; and Janie fromTheir Eyes Were Watching God because, whenfaced with a brutal choice, she chooses herlife.Who are your real-life heroes?Toni Morrison and my mother.What is the quality you most admire?Fortitude.What is the quality you admire least?Stinginess.Is there an overrated virtue?Patience. I’m thinking of King’s Letter Froma Birmingham Jail, when he says why wecan’t wait.What is your most treasured possession?A gold necklace that says my name in Arabic.It was a gift from my father, and it keepshis spirit and adventures with me.What talent would you most like to have?The ability to sing. I’d give my right arm tocarry a note in a bucket.If you could give your students one piece ofadvice?Swarthmore offers unbelievable opportunities,vast resources, and amazing faculty. Actlike you are entitled to all of it, and takeadvantage.Associate Professor of History AllisonDorsey scoops pumpkin seeds at The NutConnection in the Lancaster CountyFarmers' Market in Wayne, Pa.80 : swarthmore college bulletin
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