Experiencing the Diaspora Through Culinary Connection with Kishi Ducre

This experience celebrates the global bond that links Africans on the continent with their descendants across the diaspora—from the U.S. to Central and South America, the Caribbean, and beyond. Through food, we will trace the journeys of our ancestors, finding shared roots in flavors, spices, and traditions that have traveled and transformed yet remain connected.

Dr. Kishi Ducre is an author, Black Studies professor, and founder of The SoulJourners Academy, where she designs transformative family study abroad programs that center the African diaspora and offers a decolonized perspective. A storyteller at heart, Kishi’s writing and photography elevate narratives of Black women’s resilience in the face of structural violence and environmental injustice. In the classroom, she explores the Black experience through African Diaspora Foodways, examining how food production and preparation shape identity and connect communities across geographies disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade and imperialism.

Her books include A Place We Call Home: Gender, Race, and Justice in Syracuse and Addressing Environmental and Food Justice toward Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline. In 2023, she was appointed by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to the 400 Years of African American History in New York Commission. Through The SoulJourners Academy, she continues to expand her storytelling to new audiences by offering Black history and cultural immersion tours, online workshops, and family travel experiences that make global education both accessible and deeply meaningful. She took families on a study abroad trip to the Costa Rican Caribbean, produced a children’s book and a companion online course for grownups. Next spring break, she will host a trip to New Orleans, then Cape Town, South Africa in summer 2026. More information can be found at https://kishiducre.com/souljourners-academy/.

Registration required. In the event of open spaces when the program begins, walk-ins will be accepted until we have reached capacity.