A Reintroduction

It's high time I reintroduce myself and re-establish the purpose of The Itis.

My name is Markenzie Johnson. I am the creator of The Itis and I love to cook.

Important things you should know about me personally:

1. I am a Black woman.

   1. This blog is about my experience with food, Black culture, and the sociopolitical impact of both topics. As a Black woman, I feel I am uniquely qualified to speak on these topics because those identities are most often exploited by food industries, Black culture is appropriated at every turn, and the sociopolitical impact of that oppression is growing more prevalent each day.

2. I am disabled.

   1. I am fabulously Autistic, with colorful sprinkles of ADHD, and paint splatters of chronic illness all over the canvas I call life. My disabilities are both my deepest struggles as I work to function as a gainfully employed adult, and they are my greatest strengths where I draw my creativity, love and care for others, and passion for my work.

3. This blog is my joy because it is my personal belief system, documented.

   1. My last iteration of The Itis was more focused on just food, trying to stay more politically correct to appeal to a wider audience. I'm done with that. This blog is Blackity Black, progressive af, and we will be discussing uncomfortable topics regularly (my favorite pastime!). You cannot discuss the food of the African Diaspora without discussing who cooked the food, why they cooked what they cooked, and the reasons why food evolved through multiple means of transit. It's impossible to discuss soul food without discussing politics. And I refuse to omit political discourse for the sake of making the descendants of oppressors comfortable.

Food is life. It sustains us, in times of plenty and in times of strife. And Black people have always made a way out of no way around the dinner table, no matter who showed up. Our history is under attack and one way of fighting back is keeping our stories alive. Descendants of the African continent have historically not relied on books, but oral tradition. So let The Itis be my conduit, with stories flowing from recipe books and soup pots. Let people of all ages and races sit and be filled with The Itis. That's the point; Knowledge is power. And power sets us all free.