From My Heart to Yours�����������������

CAREE J� COTWRIGHT PHD, RDN

NE DIVERSITY LIAISON

I must give credit to the song artist, Laura Izibor, for the title of this article� Laura sings one of my favorite joyful place songs entitled “From My Heart to Yours�” Upon hearing the first note of the song, I’m automatically belting out, “From my heart to yours, I give you my soul�” It’s the type of song that makes you stop and throw your hands in the air when you’re out shopping without even thinking about who’s looking� I’m hoping you can relate� I’m hoping that you, too, have a joyful song that makes you want to dance like nobody's watching�

Common threads like our favorite “jams” help us to connect. Despite our differences, we can always find commonalities if we seek

to understand. In this spirit, I aim to share a glimpse into my experience of being a Black dietitian, a professor at a place where many of my peers and students don’t look like me, and a community servant striving to make the world a better place�

I love what I do� I wish I could tell you that I always knew I wanted to be a dietitian and that it’s an occupation that was promoted to me as a child, but that isn’t true� I stumbled into dietetics after realizing that I did not want to pursue a career in medicine� My beloved alma mater, Howard University, offered a nutrition major but I had no idea that it existed� This may sound surprising at first glance; however, considering that only about three percent of dietitians are Black, it makes a ton of sense� I decided to pursue an MS and subsequently a PhD in nutrition because I have ALWAYS loved nutrition�

Growing up, I loved cooking and being in the kitchen with my mama, Josephine W� Jackson� I started making cornbread when I was around five years old� Mama taught me to grease the muffin pan and follow the directions on the back of the Jiffy box to a “T�” Later, she taught me how to make hoecakes from scratch, a recipe I hold dear to my heart� Now, if you’re not from the South, hoecakes are cornmeal cakes that are lightly fried in an iron skillet� You haven’t lived until your taste buds sing the song of enjoying hoecakes and Josephine’s collard greens� My mouth waters just thinking about it� Even at a young age, while I was learning the Southern cooking traditions of mama and my grandma Mable, I felt that food was one of the most intimate ways to demonstrate love for others�

The idea of teaching others how to love food and themselves by making healthy choices sounded like a dream to me� The Black tradition of cooking is steeped in making do with what we had, and my goodness, we always managed to exceed expectations� The flavors, the spices, the culture and the conversations are all a part of my experience� I bear this experience in my practice as a community-engaged scholar when I approach communities of color about food choices� I am careful to leave judgment and condemnation at the door as I enter into authentic conversations about assets and barriers related to food sovereignty�

Health equity in dietetics will not advance without each

of us playing a vital role�

As we forge through the unprecedented need for diversity in the field of dietetics, we should all be reminded of the needs of the diverse population we serve� As a professor, I mentor Black students and encourage them to create sustainable solutions to many of the issues surrounding communities of color related to food access and nutrition security�

While I am passionate about the mentorship of college students, I also realize the need to reach fiveyear-old Black children learning to cook in their mamas’ kitchens and tell them that nutrition is a career choice� The face of dietetics has

not changed in decades. Now

is the time to change; so I ask,

“what will you be inspired to do?”

I stand in awe of the work of many Black dietitians such as Roniece Weaver and Fabiola Gaines of Hebni Nutrition in Orlando, Florida, whom I have witnessed empowering communities of color� I am inspired by trailblazers like Tamara Melton and Deanna Belleny, co-founders of Diversify Dietetics� These dynamic RDNs saw a need and created an organization with the mission of “increasing the racial and ethnic diversity in the field of nutrition by empowering nutrition leaders of color�” Seeing new leaders like Melton and Belleny pick up the baton to advance health equity and encourage aspiring RDNs of color makes me so hopeful and proud�

In the coming years, my vision is to make monumental strides as practitioners, lovers of food and lovers of people, to simply do the work� Self-discovery work is essential to illuminate the interwoven biases that we bring to the table, despite the good intentions we have to partner with and serve communities� Health equity in dietetics will not advance without each of us playing a vital role�

One of my favorite quotes from educator Lila Watson states, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together�” I hope you can relate� I hope that you feel connected to the premise that this work needs to be done� I hope you will do the work with joy, humility and understanding because our communities are watching and desire to thrive�

From my heart to yours, Caree J� Cotwright, PhD, RDN

Caree J� Cotwright is a registered dietitian, lover of food and cooking and an assistant professor at the University of Georgia�