What is
Liberation Table?
Liberation Table is an opportunity for Black people of the African Diaspora to host family and friends over a traditional meal with African roots — both in Black History Month and on Juneteenth — and to reflect upon our history of innovation, strength, and overcoming oppression. That said, we encourage you to celebrate Liberation Table on any day that is personally or culturally meaningful to you.
How to Practice Liberation Table
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The Liberation Table Guide serves as a manual on how to practice Liberation Table from A to Z. It includes stories, poems, rituals, and discussion questions. The content within the Guide was heavily influenced by the Keti Koti Table created by Merdeces Zandwijken and Machiel Keestra.
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Liberation Table can be held in community spaces or your own home. Hosts can facilitate the Liberation Table practice or choose guest(s) to do so. Tables can also be cohosted.
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Complete the Sugar Fast 2-3 days before your table. We fast not only to remember the abundance of sweetness in our lives but to also honor the suffering of our ancestors and to acknowledge the many people who continue to suffer under the oppressive system that is the sugar industry.
“Without community, there is no liberation...”
— AUDRE LOURDE
A Note from Our Co-Authors
As Black women descended from West and Central Africa, from the Caribbean, and from enslaved Africans brought to the United States, we have all been subject to the myth of Black inferiority.
Too familiar are the heartaches endured as a result of this pervasive racism. Too grave are the lived experiences of loss and destruction. Liberation Table is a space for Black people to redefine ourselves and emerge with a new understanding of Blackness.
We understand Blackness as a compass gifted to us by our ancestors, guiding us to liberation and expression. It leads us back to ourselves while carrying us into the future. The more connected we are to our Blackness, the more grounded we become in our power.
Liberation Table offers an opportunity for Black people to gather in community. Our connections to our ancestors and each other have the power to heal our wounds, freeing us to experience life in all its beauty and possibility. We are grateful to contribute to this Guide and hope that it will foster the transformational conversation, intergenerational healing, and expansive love that Black people so deserve.
With Love,
Hillary Bridges
Benie N’sumbu
Samantha Sims
Faith Zamble
Donate To
Black Heritage Academy
All donations are greatly appreciated and will support us in hosting Liberation Tables in 2025! Donations are tax-deductible through the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.