Food for the Soul

Food for the Soul, part of the Lunch on Us series, is a weekly noontime discussion focused on topics relevant to the many communities globally within the African Diaspora and our allies.

• Day: Wednesdays
• Time: 12:00-1:00 pm
• Location: Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center
  1212 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801

This year's Spring 2026 Food For The Soul theme is Black Continuity, Creativity, and Liberation!

Each session explores a different dimension of how Black communities remember, imagine, build, and sustain themselves. The series moves intentionally from history to futurity, from struggle to joy, from scholarship to community wellness.

• 02/04: Freedom Forum: Possible Black Futures W/ Dr. Erik McDuffie
• 02/11: Black Genealogies & Liberated Futures W/ Dr. David Wright
• 02/18: "Intangible Blackness" Creating Indelible History in a Regressive Time of Black Erasure W/ Professor Stacey Robinson
• 02/25: Lunch & Chill: Reflections of 100 Years of Black History Celebrations W/ Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center
• 03/04: Black College Students Thriving: Healing, Hope, and Joy W/ Dr. Helen Neville
• 03/11: Learn about the C-U Reparations Coalition! W/ Dr. Jeffrey Trask
• 03/18: No Session - Spring Break
• 03/25: Black on Black: A Celebration of Black Dance W/ Professor Alexandra Barbier Lunch and learn
• 04/08: Freedom on the Horizon: Transmarine Marronage in the Lesser Antilles, 1824-1848 W/ Dr. Tayzhaun Glover with us every Wednesday
• 04/15: Inside Scoop With Rita Dove W/ Humanities Research Institute
• 04/22: Wellness in Community: Building Health Together W/ McKinley Health Center - Special Populations
• 05/06: Family Reunion BBQ hosted by BNAACC and Black Faculty and Professionals Alliance (5:00 - 7:30 PM)

If there is a topic you'd like to present as it relates to the Black/African diaspora, please reach out to us at bnaacc@illinois.edu to show your interest.