Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadé Meeks.
Hi Sadé, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m a Registered Dietitian and Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit, Growing Resilience In the South. The long story is that my career path started at a young age with a passion for food. My favorite show was Ace of Cakes; I wanted to work for Duff Goldman and become a Pastry Chef. That evolved into a deeper passion for food – the science of it. I’m a nerd at heart, so getting my Masters’s in Nutritional Science just made sense. It was the perfect combination of food and science. I later passed my exam after completing my program to become a Registered Dietitian. My first job as a dietitian was as a part-time marketing dietitian for a food company while also working full-time as a Registered Dietitian for a Health Department in TN. I was the diabetes dietitian. There I led the diabetes prevention program and provided Medical Nutrition Therapy for patients dealing with a wide range of chronic diseases. I loved that job, but after two years outgrew it. I knew my purpose extended outside of those walls. While working at the health department, I saw inside and outside how so many people had misconceptions of cultural foods -specifically African American foods. So many of my Black and Hispanic patients were hesitant to talk to me because they thought I would tell them to stop eating their cultural foods. They had no idea cultural foods could be part of their health needs and goals. I witnessed such a disconnect between cultural foods and health. A disconnect that is also amplified in the media. I founded GRITS Inc. to bridge that disconnect. GRITS was incorporated in 2019. In 2021 amid the height of the pandemic, I took a GIANT leap of faith, quit my job, and set off to pursue the mission of GRITS full time.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not. For one, when I founded GRITS, I was working full-time and part-time. So, the early days of GRITS were very slow. I knew the only way I could make the progress I wanted to within the organization was to dedicate my time to it fully. After I quit my job, it was challenging for many reasons. I want to make a disclaimer; I didn’t just irrationally quit my job. It is something I had been praying for direction on for months. I knew it was time through several signs from God -even though it didn’t make sense. After I made that leap of faith, I thought the grants and funding would start flowing in. But that didn’t happen. I received so many NOs. It was disheartening to spend several days writing a proposal to get a denial. Imagine doing this so many times that you lost count. So, for a year, I invested myself fully into GRITS for free – as a volunteer. At first, it was a struggle because I still had bills and very little savings. However, not too long after I resigned, I got two contract positions that I didn’t even apply for. They were literally just opportunities presented to me. One was for a local wellness publication in Nashville and a Medical Reviewer for Healthline publications. The contract positions’ flexibility allowed me to still dedicate time to GRITS.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
GRITS Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the health of minority communities. GRITS approaches this mission by centering cultural foodways in nutrition education. This sets GRITS apart from traditional nutrition education because nutrition isn’t the focus. Instead, culture and history are the focus. Cultural storytelling serves as the bridge to nutrition. It’s the bridge to reconnect us back to the health of our cultural foods. GRITS builds this bridge through storytelling as well. We are currently working on a “Food as Resistance” college tour. In this tour, we will go to many colleges and universities and HBCUs telling the African American Food Story – The whole story which is more than just the stereotypical narratives like “soul food is killing black people.” We are on a mission to change that false narrative. Additionally, this presentation shines a light on the current increased prevalence of health disparities and issues the African American population faces. It offers solutions to how black culinary history and cultural foods can help decrease risk factors. In addition to the “Food as Resistance” program, GRITS also has a nutrition program. We are currently partnered with the Jackson Free Clinic to provide Medical Nutrition Therapy to patients free of charge. This is a unique program considering access to dietitians is limited and expensive. Unfortunately, people get diagnosed with conditions like diabetes and never see a Dietitian, the only medical professional licensed to provide Medical Nutrition Therapy for acute and chronic diseases.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can donate on our website. www.gritsinc.org Dietitians can become contracted within the organization to help with the nutrition program.
Schools and Universities interested in having the “Food as Resistance” Program can email grits at werise@gritsinc.org for more information.
Follow grits on social media help share information that helping with the narrative change work that GRITS Inc. is doing IG: @grits_inc
Contact Info:
- Email: werise@gritsinc.org
- Website: www.gritsinc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grits_inc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gritsnonprofit
Image Credits
bloombergdotorg
Itzel Gonzalez
Brandon Vestal
