Table for All with Buki Elegbede

- Hi everyone on Buki Elegbede, host, journalist, son of immigrants, and part-time baker.

Every dish has a story and those stories are rooted in heritage and tradition, that's what I'm hungry for.

I'm taking you guys across New Jersey, one of the most diverse states in the country to meet the people and hear the stories to get to what we've always known, that there's always room at the table, this is "Table For All".

Lead me down to the river Down to the river This country would not exist without Black people and it's no exaggeration to say there would be no New Jersey without Black people.

When America was formed, we were here, we fought in the revolutionary war, even when forced through the hell of slavery, the culture, the food, the resilience and vibrancy has persevered and made New Jersey my home what it is today.

Oh, oh, oh, oh His eyes is all Macedonia AME church established in 1832 is Camden's first Black owned church and Connie Jackson, a proud Camdenite, historian and choir member or as I call her, the voice is here to teach me more about its incredible history.

Me We'll take it on the road, we'll take it on the road.

Here we are at Macedonia AME one of the stops.

Can you tell me a little bit about what this church means to this particular neighborhood?

- Absolutely, this was a church, but this was the meeting house, this was the schoolhouse.

This is where things happened right here at Macedonia AME church, Black men built this church.

- Brick by brick.

- Brick by brick.

- [Host] New Jersey has assorted history when it comes to slavery.

Even though slavery was technically abolished in 1804 back channel laws made it so that some African-Americans were enslaved until 1865.

When New Jersey finally did abolish slavery it meant that newly freed men and women could make a fresh start, they bought land from Quakers and abolitionist and on that land they formed communities that are still predominantly Black today, the result places built by and for Black people.

I feel like church plays a huge role in the Black community.

- It does, think about it.

When we say church, people immediately think about a physical building, but it's actually their faith that kept them going, that kept them strong, that kept them thriving.

- [Host] And when the fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, requiring that slaves be returned to their owners even once they were in a free state, the Camden community stepped up.

- There was a story that was told and a true story.

There were some slave owners that were bringing a slave up here from the south to the north horse and buggy and got right in front of the church and the slave started hollering and screaming for help, they came out of the church, rescued him and the white man that went that horse and buggy became afraid, which they should have been.

- When a group of Black people are coming for you.

- We'll go outta here and they ran and the man was saved.

- Camden was not the destination it was just a stop to where?

- [Connie] Well, once they got here and they saw what was here, it's not farmland right now, but then it was.

So what you saw was opportunity that would make you wanna stay say, okay, you know what?

Yeah, we were going to New York, but we're staying here in Camden.

- [Host] Passengers on the underground railroad were often young, able bodied men who spent their lives working as slaves to build the south from the ground up and when they arrived in Camden they finally saw the opportunity to build something of their own.

I would be terrified, strange lands, you have no idea its just empty fields and they saw a promise, they saw what it could be.

- Being enslaved, being down south, but when you arrive in somewhere that it looks like there's some possibility of being able to do something and being able to be greeted by other Blacks who will take you in then that becomes home.

- [Host] And cementing the ties to Camden's proud Black history has never been more important today after decades of high crime rates, white flight and still a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in America, Camden is bouncing back.

Half a billion dollars have been invested in recent years to revitalize Camden's waterfront and bring big industries back to Camden, but miss Connie and others worry that this could price Black Camdenites out.

- I think that is critical for were us as African-Americans to tell our history about the land and how it was developed and how we had African-Americans that owned the land, that built the houses and the churches and then to recognize it we need to have historical markers to be able to help tell their story and the you preserve it.

- And you to have a marker for this.

- Absolutely, I think that Camden now is thriving, but it's important that we have a stake in the development, that we have a stake in the direction that it goes and how it thrives, we built this country, we built this country and if we built this country then we absolutely should be a part of rebuilding and bringing our city back.

[upbeat music] - [Host] There's no doubt that Black culture has made the city of Camden what it is today and a huge part of how that culture is shared is through food, after all, where do people go after church on Sunday?

If you live in Camden you already know the answer, Corinne's Place has been a Camden institution for over 30 years and now it's getting famous, famous.

In 2022, the soul food restaurant was named a James Beard, America's Classic.

James Beard is basically the Oscars of food and since then they've been churning out as many orders of Mac and Cheese, collard greens, Cajun Turkey wings and fried chicken, as they can manage.

It's the kind of Black Americana cuisine that was born during slavery and came to Camden alongside passengers on the underground railroad.

I had to get there early to beat the rush, but before I could meet the one and only Ms. Corrine, I was put to work by her niece, Monica.

- We're about to dip up some of this cobbler and package it for sale.

- [Host] I want to grab that for you?

- Okay.

- Right to my car, right?

- Oh, oh.

- [Host] Now, where did everyone learn to bake so well?

- [Monica] From grandma.

- [Host] Grandma.

- [Monica] Grandma did collards, all the pies and she just, it shifted down to the younger generation.

- [Host] So what is the ratio of crust?

- [Monica] Crust, too much of the crust along with the apple and then it gets too much apple then you dip up a little more crust.

- [Host] Okay.

- You know, cause some people want just crust.

- Oh I love crust.

- So do I - [Host] And then I'm seeing too that there's also crust on the bottom.

- [Monica] Yes, has to be crust on the bottom.

- Some people, no crust on the bottom they want to do little sums on the top and it's not gonna, that's not it, you need the crust, you need that rich deliciousness, nobody's eating cobbler for fruit, no.

- [Monica] Grandma will be proud of you, you dipping up this cobbler like a pro.

- [Host] I try to honor grandmas all across America with this.

- [Monica] Yeah, you left to crust?

- [Host] I specifically left some crust for us because grandma would want it that way.

- Grandma would want it that way.

- You gotta taste the food.

- Crust.

- Cheers.

[upbeat music] - That Crust.

- The crust, that's a secret.

- But that's meant to retain our job, very good.

This is delicious.

- Have at it, I'm not gonna stop you.

- And the bottom was perfect, thank you so much.

- [Monica] You're welcome.

- It's really good.

- [Monica] You're welcome.

- And now we have some here for everybody.

- Yep.

- So I think I worked for my meal, I'm good.

- Yes, you have.

- Thank you.

- And won't put that 10 pounds back on you.

- Don't make me gain this COVID weight back.

And now the moment I've been waiting for, it's time to meet the well-dressed, the fierce, the legend herself, drum roll please.

Now introducing Camden's de facto grandma and the namesake herself, Miss Corinne.

- You hear that nothing good comes out of Camden, I beg your pardon.

- How did this all come about, this James Beard award?

Cause you had no idea.

- Someone text me that, congratulations on your James Beard Award and I'm looking at the text and saying, who is James Beard?

I know James Bradley, that's my grandfather.

Then I called my daughter and my daughter and my grand they don't get excited over nothing, you know?

Okay, well, all right, you know, like that.

But when they looked it up they started crying, so I said, what?

They bring tears to your eyes, I said, oh wow, God is good to bring this to me I must have been doing something heavenly right?

- You never got into it for the awards.

- My award is just as long as I take care of my people.

- Cause you started as a social worker.

- Yeah, I used to be a counselor, juvenile counselor and that was my passion and cooking was I would unwind cooking after trying to save the world and that's what I thought I was gonna be able to do, but you know, you can't save everybody.

- [Host] Oh, but Ms Corrine's been saving more lives than she can count, she's known for hiring young people from the community, people who may need a second chance or even a first to get their lives on track.

She's even created a scholarship program and hold regular fund raisers to help people pay for college tuitions, but as good as all that feels, it's nothing compared to the food.

Thank you, Monica.

- [Monica] You're welcome.

- Oh God, what's this?

- [Corrine] That's the Cajun Turkey wings.

I call myself a gourmet soul food cook.

I worked hard for this reputation, being a Black person, you gotta be a super Black you just can't be an average Black.

- Twice as much - I gotta do twice as much, yes, yes, yes and get more or get less, you know what I'm talking about.

- Do you know what business I'm in?

Yes, I know.

- No and so I didn't wanna be so I had to excel in what I did.

- Can we have a moment to discuss this chicken?

- Is it good?

- It's flavorful all throughout and I understand why that critic likes this chicken so much.

- [Corrine] Yeah, he did.

- [Host] It's very, very good, when you're cooking this food, when you're eating this food, what do you feel?

Do you think about your own mom cooking in the kitchen?

- [Corrine] She was a church lady and all they did was dress and eat.

- [Host] Dress and eat.

- [Corrine] Dress and.

- [Host] Oh Sunday, Sunday was an affair.

- [Corrine] You better believe it, my mother would start on Saturday cooking for Sunday and we always had a poultry, a pork and a beef every Sunday, that's what we would eat.

- Wow.

- So that's how I know what I eat, I don't know about TV dinners and all that stuff, I know about the real.

- [Host] No hungry man?

- The real deal no, no, no.

- [Host] And her customers agree after eating at Corrine's, you're all smiles.

- Yo, this is some good chicken.

- If you can close your eyes and eat a piece of chicken and you know you're eating chicken, you're eating some good chicken and that's what you get here.

If you want good cooking, good soul food, this is the spot.

- [Host] Now that's soul food emphasis on the soul.

Ms. Corrine worked hard to create that community atmosphere.

- [Corrine] I walk through the buffet and I try to have dialogue with different families and so I'm sure every last one of us has been in the place everybody has a cell phone, the baby has a cell phone, grandma got a cell phone so I told them, I said, that's not allowed here.

You're family, you gotta sit and talk to your family and if we would read the Bible the way we're on our cell phone, we wouldn't be, they wouldn't be on the way to hell.

You know what I'm saying?

- That's the truth.

- Am I telling the truth?

- It's not just a restaurant cause normal restaurant they don't care, you can be on your phone, let the baby be on the phone, who cares?

But to be here and to really not just embrace community, but sort of instill it and require it is something special.

- And they appreciate that.

- Corrine has been here for a while cause she has helped out this community greatly.

- You have her food, everybody gonna be running here singing, Kumbaya.

- [Host] But I have to say what's getting everybody to shout hallelujah and thank you Jesus is Ms Corrine's Cajun Turkey wings.

Cameron was telling me that there's a secret to the Turkey wings.

- [Corrine] Oh yeah.

- And he say I have to ask you.

- Because he don't know.

- Oh.

- [Corrine] That's why.

- Okay.

- And you wanna live long?

- I do.

- Well, you ain't getting the secret.

- [Host] Oh, okay.

- Do you see how that fall?

Do you see how.

- Falling?

- I mean, that's how it's supposed to be, you can't, Cajun is not supposed to be tough, you're supposed to take, you know, just fall apart.

[upbeat music] - That's the one, that's the one right there, it's really good, perfectly seasoned.

- You pick the spice?

- [Host] Yeah, I pick the spice very, very good.

- Thank you.

- Do you find that it's gonna be hard to spread this out and follow these traditions as we go down generations?

- We should never lose this, you should never lose the flavor, we can't do that.

This is a part of life, this is apart of living, this is part of happiness, don't you feel happy now?

- I feel warm and fussy, I feel great, I feel excellent.

[upbeat music] For as unique and one of a kind as Ms Corrine is and she truly is one in a million, she's merely following in the footsteps of other Black foodies who did exactly the same thing over 200 years ago, create a community through food.

There's more to Black cuisine than fried chicken and collard greens.

The OG black food philanthropists in New Jersey had a different specialty, I was surprised too, oysters.

- This looks beautiful, do you guys know that oysters used to be the size of a lady's hand?

- So these tiny little things are.

- Yeah.

- Not it.

- They would've been like, excuse me.

- 85 Miles and a change of clothes later and I'm in Jersey city with Noelle Lorraine Williams, the Director of the African-American history program at the New Jersey Historical Commission.

She's one of the only people I know who's dug up this fascinating history about New Jersey's Black oyster men in the 18 hundreds.

That was really good, When we think of food of the African-American community, we think chitlins, we think fried chicken, we think okra, we think all those different things, but who would've thought that oysters were a part of our culture.

- So you have the shore, you have the Hudson, Newark, you have the Passaic, all of these like bodies of water so oysters are a part of the Black experience here.

- [Host] And then there were actually prominent Black oyster farmers in these parts.

- [Noelle] Yes, so we have the Jacksons who were only just a couple of miles away from here in Jersey City and then we go even as far as Essex County to Newark, we have the Ofake family and he created his own kind of like oysters stand right there on Broaden market, but all of these communities were all connected and that's what I find to be really fascinating.

- These families had a stronghold on the food and culture scene in the 19th century, hugely popular among White and Black clientele alike and they used their success to give back.

- They were raising money, they were having speakers like Frederick Douglas came to Newark, Henry Garett came to Newark, James McCune, all of these famous Black abolitionist figures and it just brings to life the different ways that African-Americans were fighting for freedom.

- [Host] It seems like there was a real thirst or zest for community back then.

Do you still think that community exists today with the African-American population now?

- We have to understand how complicated African-American life was, for them it was about blood, it was about family, it was about community because they literally were always having their family and the connections broken.

In order to create African-America or to create being Black what you had to do was imagine community and we're still imagining community.

There's a term African-Americans use, it's like a play-brother or a play-sister or a play.

- [Host] Play cousin.

- [Noelle] And that I believe stems from enslavement and Black free folks just working to create community in places like here in Jersey City and Newark and Camden.

- Every marginalized group says, we've come far, but we've got a long way to go.

How much further do we have to go?

- One of the rallying cries of a democracy is that everyone has the right to their own power, their own body.

All of the individuals we mention today, all of these people could have easily taken their wealth and moved somewhere else, but they stayed with their people, the poorer folks who still lived here in New Jersey and I think it's important for people to understand that African-Americans have always been courageous, have always been bold and have always tried to keep community in the face of a society that just challenged being fully human.

- [Host] Hundreds of years later and the struggle to keep our community intact is still being tested today.

Welcome to Lawnside, the very first Black owned and run town in the state.

Think of it as once New Jersey's Black Wall Street, it used to be called, Free Haven and that's truly what it's been to Black people since 1804 and it remains more of the few boroughs in the entire United States that has had a predominantly African-American population throughout its existence.

But its future, its future is in danger.

I'm outside the Peter Mott house, an iconic underground railroad stop because it's one of the very few stops owned by a person of color.

I'm here to meet 96 year old revolutionary Ida Conway.

She's been fighting for Black ownership for decades.

Mother Lawnside, as you are known to everyone around here.

Tell me about some of your efforts, I know that you have been a protesting them building warehouses and different things like that.

- [Ida] Would you put a warehouse in the middle of Huddersfield, but a neighborhood that's poor or they're Black they just say whatever I do to your town, is an improvement.

- [Host] Business is booming in and around the one square mile town, but it's not Black business, big corporations are buying up land and tearing down essential community assets, threatening to displace people like Ida, one of the few people left here who remember what Lawnside used to be and its place in Black and New Jersey's history.

Where do you want to see Lawnside go in the next generation?

- The things that I'd like to see would be recreation center for the children, urgent care, I'd like to see the little parks, things that people can use in the town, but I would like them to own it themselves.

- How important is that ownership?

- Most important, you can say this is my town.

- [Host] A place that has always had Black owned and operated farms, schools, churches, all that history could soon be paved over.

- [Ida] We work called Lawnside, but after a while they're going be called, asphalt.

- Would you ever leave?

- No, I'ma stay here and fight, they'll have to carry me out.

- So do you see any young people in Lawnside kind of taking on this torch to rebuild?

- They don't wanna come back cause they don't feel as though they have anything to come back to.

- So how do we get them back?

- I don't know, except to show that it's important to us and we wanna hold onto it and that they can join the fight to hold onto it.

- [Host] Well guess what Ida?

Young Black people across New Jersey are joining the fight.

These high schoolers staged a protest outside city hall in Newark, demanding their school hire and support more Black teachers to teach them about the very history Ida, Connie, Corrine and Noelle are trying to keep alive.

- You all deserve to feel safe in your classrooms.

You all deserve to be safe in your city.

You all deserve Black educators that don't get pushed out these systems.

Y'all are 2022 is.

[protestors cheering] - [Host] If the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter, taught us anything, is that there's more than one way to fight and that brings us to our final stop and looking forward to what lies ahead for the Black community.

Someone who's really changing history and setting a new example for the next generation is Charlotte Nebres.

This incredible 14 year old dare to imagine her own limitless potential and at age 11 became the first Black Marie in the New York City ballet's "Nutcracker".

- This show has been going on for so long and it's crazy that that had never happened yet, almost 50 years later it took.

It's definitely just such a unique experience that I'm so, so lucky to have had.

- So I joined her at the bar to learn a thing or two from the next generation on how they're breaking down barriers.

- You can start out off with the.

- Oh, that was really graceful.

- And then you bring it in and you switch forward to your leg.

- I can't do it, I can't flip Charlotte.

- You can go towards your leg again.

- Oh Charlotte, oh Charlotte, okay.

- You can take your leg off the bar now.

- Okay, how are these hands?

- Yeah.

- Normally, we start out like this so it's a little bit easier, the younger kids do that and then it slowly turns into this.

- I'm gonna be one of the younger kids today, all right.

Can you teach me to spin?

I can't leave here without knowing how to spin.

- Sure.

- Okay.

- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

- Let's see if I can do this.

- So we go side.

- Side.

- And then in.

- In.

- And then spot your head.

- I think that's as good if I'm gonna get it, but I made it a full rotation so I'm feeling good and oh yeah, she wrote a book about it.

Now this came out when you were 12, do you wanna know what I was doing at 12?

It was not writing a book.

- When I was performing in the "Nutcracker" I would see these kids and I'm sure that they probably saw themselves in me like I did when I was little.

And it was really like a full circle moment because when I was little I went to see "Swan Lake" and it was Misty Copeland was performing as her debut as the Swan and that was a really formative moment for me.

So getting to sort of be that person for another little kid, it was just so surreal.

- Do you think if you didn't see Misty at "Swan Lake" that maybe this being Marie in the "Nutcracker" might not have happened?

- I definitely do think that that was important for me and it's true that representation matters and if you can see it, that's what I like to say, if you can see it, you can be it, it is the most important thing can do, especially for kids to just have the mind set that you can do anything and there shouldn't be anything telling them not to.

- And I know your grandfather got a shout out in here, he was making.

- They had the cooking that we do as a family and so that's me I was baking there, that's a really big part of Charlotte at home our culture comes out with food and especially at the holidays.

- Well, mom, I mean, you know, the barriers that African-Americans face, but I know that you said, you didn't wanna kind of put that on your kids.

How did you raise such incredible individuals?

- I certainly raised them to be aware of themselves and the world we exist in, but I didn't want them to feel pressured or burdened by that because I do feel we're in a different time, the opportunities are there.

This was a way for us to share it and say, this happened, you can see what it was about.

You can feel it through the imagery, the words, and then maybe be inspired to come to that theater.

- [Charlotte] Our whole goal was to be able to share diverse stories and not only showcase the struggle, but also to show joy because we are more than just suffering, we have happiness and joy and that definitely needs to be represented.

- How proud of this girl are you?

- [Mom] Yeah, exceptionally proud and that's been the biggest gift of parenting that I didn't know that I was gonna receive is that you also grow with the kid.

- Being in the presence of these remarkable, gutsy, unrelenting, brilliant Black women has opened my eyes to the magic that is the black experience.

They've guided us from the history of the underground railroad in New Jersey and towards a brighter, promising, and more optimistic future.

And when I grow up, I wanna be just like Charlotte.

He watches, he watches me See, that'll do me all the time.

[Connie laughing]