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To Honor World Food Day, Mandela Foods Co-op Hosts Nutrition Justice Advocate

Published

9 years ago

October 5, 2017

In kicking off World Food Day, Mandela Foods Cooperative will host the “Where’s WANDA?” children’s book talk and signing with DC-based author and nutrition activist Tambra Raye Stevenson, on Sun., October 15th from 2 to 4 p.m. at 1430 7th Street in Oakland. Stevenson is the founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture and heads the Health Committee for the NAACP branch in Wash., D.C.

“Diabetes took my grandma’s life due to her sweet tooth, depression and sedentary lifestyle. Now as a mom, I want to be a better example for my daughter and encourage her to make better choices,” says Stevenson. “I want women to recreate a world where our girls are supported by a village of WANDA women who inspire them to become future nutritionists, food policymakers, healthy food entrepreneurs, food writers and farmers that are communities desperately need.”

“Where’s WANDA? Little WANDA Finds a Cure for Nana” introduces a new girl character, Little WANDA as the “Doc McStuffins” of nutrition meets “Dora the Explorer” for Africa. Bringing black girl magic from farm to fork, Little WANDA leads young readers on a food adventure across Nigeria to find a cure for her Nana’s diabetes with the help of a local female farmer.

“The “Where’s Wanda?” series brings a new awareness to young women in how they can be more involved with nutrition locally and more importantly “globally.” Little Wanda looks like them and represents their children. It’s a cultural insight into our daily lives. Food sheroes like me love it,” says Oakland resident and owner of Wanda’s Cooking, Wanda Blake.

Seeing a lack of main girl characters, especially of color, Stevenson was inspired by her daughter to create a character for her to role model to embrace good nutrition and consider going into the field of agriculture and nutrition. So she decided to do something by creating this new book series and a nonprofit to promote more women and girls leading in the food system.

As a local champion, Cuisine Noir Magazine has been raffling copies of the book on social media. “Ms. Stevenson’s book helps to start an important conversation for families about the connection between health, culture and food. In addition, I love the book because it empowers little girls around the world to be influencers for their generation and others at any age,” says V. Sheree Williams, publisher of Cuisine Noir magazine.

Written in English and Hausa, an African language, the book addresses gender equity, education, health and wellbeing and nutrition related to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations to promote global citizenship too.

“I wrote this book based on my journey in finding my roots in northern Nigeria as a nutritionist. I wanted to write a book to inspire kids that their heritage, gender and local food ways has value to heal our community!” That’s the message from the National Geographic’s Traveler of the Year, and internationally recognized nutrition educator Tambra Raye Stevenson.

Stevenson also shares her message as a contributing writer in the recently released “Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South” by food historian and author Michael Twitty who was recently in San Francisco for his book signing and dinner talk at MoAD.

Featured in Forbes this summer, Stevenson is on a mission to inspire a new generation of women and girls to become food heroes to build and sustain healthy communities and economies in communities like Oakland and across the Diaspora and Africa.

“The book highlights the nonprofit WANDA which creates a pipeline and platform to educate, advocate, innovate and celebrate about the role of women and girls leading in creating a better food system,” says Stevenson, a D.C. Food Policy Council Member. “As a first-time author, I have enjoyed the emails and posts from parents, educators and health providers, who resonate with story and character Little WANDA in the bilingual book series.

“We are excited for WANDA connecting young girls to the food system is critical and filling a void in women’s role in agriculture. WANDA’s voice is needed to reconnect us to the land and we support WANDA,” says Dr. Gail Myers, co-founder of Farms to Grow, Inc.

“As we work to better educate our girls to become healthy eaters, readers and leaders, we must shine the light on women—WANDA Women—who are making an impact as food leaders in our community like Gail Myers of Freedom’s Farmer’s Market in Oakland to Mrs. Salamatu Garba of Kano, Nigeria—who is highlighted in the first book,” Stevenson says.

The book signing and discussion is free and open to the public. Following the book event, a special dinner with area women food leaders will be held at Ivy Moon restaurant from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to support WANDA. Tickets are available at www.iamwanda.org.

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 8 – 14, 2026

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Black Artists in America, Installation Three Wraps at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens

TRI-STATE DEFENDER — With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

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March 24, 2026

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By Candace A. Gray | Tri-State Defender

The tulips gleefully greet those who enter the gates at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens on an almost spring day. More than 650,000 bulbs of various hues are currently on display. And they are truly breathtaking.

Inside the gallery, and equally as breathtaking, is the “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” exhibit, which runs through Sunday, March 29. This is the third installment of a three-part series that started years ago and illustrates part of the Black experience through visual arts in the 20th century.

“This story picks up where part two left off,’’ said Kevin Sharp, the Linda W. and S. Herbert Rhea director for the Dixon. “This era is when we really start to see the emergence of these important Black artists’ agency and freedom shine through. They start to say and express what they want to, and it was a really beautiful time.”

With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

“Though [Davis] was from LA, he actually lived in Memphis for a decade,” said Sharp. “He was a dean at Memphis College of Art, and later opened the first gallery in New York owned and operated by black curators.”

Another featured artist is former NFL player, Ernie Barnes. His work is distinctive. Where have you seen one of his most popular paintings, Sugar Shack? On the end scene and credits of the hit show “Good Times.” His piece Saturday Night, Durham, North Carolina, 1974 is in this collection.

Memphis native James Little’s “The War Baby: The Triptych” is among more than 50 works featured in “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, the final installment of a three-part series highlighting the impact and evolution of Black artists through 2011.

The exhibit features other artists with Memphis ties, including abstract painter James Little, who was raised in a segregated Memphis and attended Memphis Academy of Art (before it was Memphis College of Art). He later moved to New York, became a teacher and an internationally acclaimed fixture in the art world in 2022 when he was named a Whitney Biennial selected artist at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Other artists like Romare Bearden, who had a Southern experience but lived up North, were featured in all three installments.

“During this period of time, he was a major figure,” said Sharp. “He wrote one of the first books on the history of African American art during a time when there were more Black academics, art teachers, more Black everything!”

Speaking of Black educators, Sharp said the head curator behind this tri-part series and Dixon’s partner in the arts is Earnestine Jenkins, Ph.D., an art history professor at the University of Memphis, who also earned a Master of Arts degree from Memphis State University (now UofM). “We began working with Dr. Jenkins in 2018,” he said.

Sharp explained that it takes a team of curators, registrars, counterparts at other museums, and more, about three years to assemble an exhibit like this. It came together quite seamlessly, he added. Each room conjured up more jaw-dropping “wows” than the one before it. Each piece worked with the others to tell the story of Black people and their collective experience during this time period.

One of the last artists about whom Sharp shared information was Bettye Saar, who will turn 100 years old this year. She’s been working in Los Angeles for 80 years and is finally getting her due. Her medium is collages or assemblages, and an incredible work of hers is on display. She’s married to an artist and has two daughters, also artists.

The exhibit catalogue bears some of these artists’ stories, among other scholarly information.

The exhibit, presented by the Joe Orgill Family Fund for Exhibitions, is culturally and colorfully rich. It is a must see and admission to the Dixon is free.

Visit https://www.dixon.org/ to learn more.

Fun Facts: An original James Little design lives in the flooring of the basketball court at Tom Lee Park, and he makes and mixes his own paint colors.