A lot of Minnesotans are looking for ways to heal in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing on Memorial Day, with one such effort taking place on October 1st.
The virtual event is being hosted by the Minnesota Humanities Center, and Rose McGee who is the founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pies.
When Rose McGee saw the pain and agony in Ferguson following the shooting death of Michael Brown, she felt called to help, and she started by baking a pie. "Well for me it's not just any pie," McGee said. "It's the sweet potato pie. And the sweet potato pie in my opinion is the sacred dessert of black culture. That's just how I feel about it. And it's a complex dessert."
She made the pies, and drove them down to Ferguson. Since then she has founded the non-profit Rose McGee Sweet Potato Comfort Pies.
Sweet Potato Comfort Pie’s annual event to honor Dr. Martin Luther King gathers hundreds of people into community each year.
"Folks come in, and look around and say 'where are the recipes?’” McGee told WCCO’s Susie Jones. “No we are just going to dump, pour, and mix. They kind of get a thrill out of that."
Rose says she learned that through the process of baking with others, delivering the pies, and gathering for reflection, the pies became more than just comfort food and culture. They were a catalyst for change.
"What we are dealing with is complex," she said.
"There's no real recipe for it. We just kind of have to just pitch in and do what's best for the situation."
After the death of George Floyd, she wanted to bake pies to help with the healing process. She started a series of virtual events called "We Can't Breathe".
The first one included mothers of children who have been killed by police. The next one will feature a generational conversation about race, with people from Mankato, St. Cloud, Rochester and Duluth, gathering online to talk about the struggle, and at the same time they will make Rose's sweet potato pie.
"So with those four conversations, there is a relationship building through the pies in those respective communities," she said. "For me the work that we do at Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, is to really help people understand how to connect, and how to listen to each other."
The event is being sponsored by the Minnesota Humanities Center. "The vision of the Minnesota Humanities Center is a just society,” said Kevin Lindsey, the executive director. "This is a great collaboration because we are very much alike."
Lindsey says the death of George Floyd has become a symbol.
"We are seeing around the world, people saying the past atrocities, and issues of denial of opportunity are over, and as a people, we need to be heard."
To learn more about about Rose McGee Sweet Potato Comfort Pies click here.