About Strained

Welcome to the Launch of “Strained”

“Strained” is a new column that navigates race, culture and identity through the lens of food legacies that have been interrupted.

The column cleverly tackles uncomfortable topics in a way that is vulnerable, relatable and thought-provoking.

The first in the series is “Chopsticks, Forks and Knives. The Inequality at My Dinner Table,” a personal essay by Paula Madison who writes about growing up as a Black, Chinese and Jamaican American in Harlem during the 1960s and how she navigated racism with flatware and her fists at the young age of 10. Ms. Madison is a former media executive and author of “Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem.”

Are you interested in submitting an essay? We’d love to hear from you. Follow this link for information on how you can send us your pitch.