Acasia’s Kitchen.

We talk about everything in Acasia’s kitchen.

About barbecue wings and gumbo, which makes her happy because her dad’s side of the family is from New Orleans. We talk about Caribbean-inspired drinks, hibiscus.

We talk about her work supporting Black education leaders, and how The 1954 Project just co-created a new podcast that highlights the unrealized promise of Brown v. Board. The promise that was made and the progress that’s yet to come. The podcast features the story of people from the times of school desegregation— contemporary Black educators and Black sector leaders telling their stories.

We discuss the world around us. We talk about how we feel when the biggest things around us are man-made instead of natural.

“I realized in the past two years because I didn’t grow up in big cities, I need more time on the West Coast,” she told me. “I need to climb a mountain and stare at the horizon, or I don’t feel grounded.”

We talk about her mama, who passed recently. Valerie Louise. A writer of poetry and song. She was a singer – a backup for Nu Shooz, even; Acasia’s father was a drummer. How sad Acasia is that she doesn’t have audio of her singing. We talked too of Valerie’s intensity. Tough moms. What it’s like to live through that. The complications of all people, mamas included. We wonder aloud what our kids will think of our mothering.

“I feel like that was one of her very big outlets as a creative person, to sing,” Acasia said. “She had a very, very strong voice.”

I have a cup of earl grey in Acasia’s kitchen. We move on to horseradish Wisconsin cheese spread and rosemary sourdough crackers, along with dry orange wine.

I tell her how glad I am to have audio of her singing. A late Saturday afternoon in Acasia’s kitchen.