A Day in the Life of a Free Black Pepper Pot Woman in Philadelphia | These Roots Episode 3

These Roots, is a series that explores the day to day lives of Black people across America in the 18th and 19th centuries. This episode follows Judith, a free Black Woman who worked as a Pepper Pot vendor in Philadelphia at the beginning of the 19th century.
**Please Note that hugging or touching people in public in the West was not common practice until well into the 20th century. It was included here as a creative choice to illustrate familiarity and care within the Black community.**
This is a unique project! The entire production team is Black from the producers to the director to the DP. To support this work please become a patron on Patreon. / notyourmommashistory
Thank you Patreon Patrons for making videos like this possible!
Website- NotYourMommasHistory.com
Facebook- / yourmommashistory
Instagram- NotYourMommasHistory
Credits
Creator and Executive Producer- Cheyney McKnight
Producer- Jerome Outlar, Carolyn Pierre-Outlar
Director- Dallas Alexis
Director of Photography- Moses Akempta
Editor- Moses Akempta
Cast
Judith- Cheyney McKnight
Female Customer- Amanda Wood
Male Customer- Cole Grinnell
Quansheba- Kalela Williams
Judith’s Friend- Jerome Outlar
Special Thanks to
Patreon Patrons
Alyssa Geisman (Subtitles)
The Museum of the American Revolution (Tavern scene and b-roll)- www.amrevmuseum.org/
Tyler Putman
Michael Idriss
Historic Richmond Town (Hearth Cooking scenes)- www.historicrichmondtown.org/
Luke Boyd
Burnley and Trowbridge- Kerchiefs
Images-
"American Anti-Slavery Society, American Anti-Slavery Almanac, for 1839" (New York: S. W. Benedict, 1839), 19.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery CollectionDivision of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
“Kidnapping,” stipple engraving by Alexander Rider in Jesse Torrey, Portraiture of Domestic Slavery (Philadelphia, 1817). Library Company of Philadelphia
“To the President, Senate, and House of Representatives. The Petition of the People of Colour, free men, within the City and Suburbs of Philadelphia, humbly sheweth,” in John Parrish, Remarks on the Slavery of the Black People (Philadelphia, 1806). Library Company of Philadelphia
Music-
Dial M Credits
Dial M by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: www.twinmusicom.org/song/277/d...
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org

[@megj6704]

Enslaver, this is how history should reference those who felt slavery was justified. This term removes the privilege attached to "owner." Enslaved lets us know free will was not involved for those who lived the life of enslavement. Thank you for these history lessons.

[@playme129]

She is really good with words. Watch her other videos and notice the words and the way she uses them. Her presentations are excellent.

[@azsli2]

*what do slave quarters look like?* "I've been told to point you to the nice ones when you ask that." She made it perfectly clear in that sentence even though she was being interviewed she was not free to speak and was instructed what to say and it shows the one we see are not the truth.

[@twebster179]

I like that. Enslavers and colonizers.

[@MyGreenPathway]

Absolutely true. I call them ‘terrorists’.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

@@MyGreenPathway THANK you! THIS! THIS!!

[@elizabethraitanen5057]

Imagine working in a tavern, coming home to make up the pepper pot and then going out to sell it and having to worry about being kidnapped! Cheney, your videos are important. “Say their names”.

[@wilfordfraser6347]

Yes they were some strong women.

[@JennLynnTarot]

Not to mention doing this in the cold snowy winter months!

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

@@JennLynnTarot I imagine they would have gotten sick often from that. It's bad enough worrying about everything else, but then having to stand out in the cold on top of that? I have nothing but respect for these women and what went through and it's videos like this that help educate me further. I'm glad I was introduced to Cheney's channel.

[@thetroytroycan]

Everyone had it bad back then. More important to show what was done to all children. That'll keep u up at night. Obese women don't get that much sympathy honey

[@abigailbp9294]

🎉

[@siriuslyconfused1]

The language we use is so important, and these lessons highlight how far we have to come in the way we discuss slavery. When you said “Enslaved people who liberated themselves” instead of textbooks of saying “slaves who ran away”, it really highlighted that fact.

[@StarchildMagic]

Language can absolutely shape history, as you illustrated. I have never heard the expression "enslaved people who liberated themselves" before today, and it makes all the difference in how it sounds.

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

I love the term "liberated" or "self-liberation" for enslaved people who managed to free themselves. They didn't runaway, they escaped.

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

who liberated themselves by escaping Big diff btwn shooting or knifing ppl and slipping out or running faster than ur overseer Liberating ppl has connotation of battling

[@BethanySchmidtEsthetics]

My grandmama used to make Pepper Pot (she made hers with Rutabaga) and she told me all about it’s history 💕 thank you for making these videos. I homeschool my son and I use them to help him learn about the REAL history of the US.

[@Hannah-zw9ow]

Thank you for using homeschooling to teach your kids valuable information. Homeschooling is often viewed as useless because the people who get the most attention are the looney conspiracy theorists parents that pull their kids out of school to teach them about who even knows what. It’s important to see that people are actually teaching their kids!

[@bdrummond5414]

Yes! I do the same with my kids! These videos are such a great resource!

[@BethanySchmidtEsthetics]

@@Hannah-zw9ow IKR 😅 there are some kooks! That’s why I’m not in any homeschool groups 😂 thank you for the compliment 🥰

[@BethanySchmidtEsthetics]

@@bdrummond5414 yes!!!!

[@squeeerle]

Yes! The same here! My biggest reason for homeschooling my children is so they learn actual history. She helps me educate myself and my children.

[@wildcatste]

"say their names and speak their deeds." that gave me chills. Thank you for lifting up these histories so they are hidden no more!

[@christinacody5845]

I went back several times so those names could be called up when hearing of this timeframe. Their stories should be part and parcel of the time. Let their names be remembered.

[@patrick8023]

Boring

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

@@patrick8023 If it's so boring, then why are you here?

[@ellanina801]

@@ReptilianTeaDrinker 👏 right?! What a tweed that one is 😹

[@paleylewis7440]

I love the small moment of stopping to read the papers, and then to show Judith talking about what she read to others in her community. It may seem simple to us today, but we forget how slowly information was spread at the time. And seeking it out and communicating to others had to be purposeful. Especially when those who benefit work to keep it hidden

[@sarahbettany7546]

More than that, it was a subtle way of pointing out that she was literate.

[@argusfleibeit1165]

​@@sarahbettany7546 Yes-- the right to read was sharply denied to enslaved people. Some learned in secret, at the risk of severe punishment if found out. Some would pretend they could not read for as long as they needed to. Oral tradition and the passing of news were very important. It continued the ability of white people to see themselves as superior, if they could believe Black people were too primitive and slow to be literate.

[@sharks9555]

same thing i was thinking. i noticed judith reading the papers and was worried someone was going to come in and catch her. but it was so important for them to show how sneaky and secretive they had to be to get ahold of information that for white people was an everyday common thing.

[@mwater_moon2865]

@@argusfleibeit1165 While there were laws making it illegal to teach reading and writing to "Negros" in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Virginia, and Missouri banned teaching slaves; there were slave owners who wanted slaves able to read and keep account books. Some house slaves were expected to read, some times even expected to read French! A ladies' maid had to keep up on fashions for her mistress, and cooks were sometimes expected to be able to read and follow recipes. Printers also used slaves for type setting. And there are ads from Maryland selling slaves (possibly even the free blacks captured in Philly...) that mention their literacy as it made them more valuable.

[@jennfalcon8290]

It is always nice to me to see references to women who could read in history, especially women who pulled themselves up from slavery. My great grandmother was a mill girl who came from the Azores. She could not read even in Portuguese, but the man she married when she returned to her island could. It was male dominated. If she hadn't come back to America with her daughter and her husband, maybe my grandmother wouldn't have learned to read either!

[@mamaguile7587]

There’s pepper pot in the Caribbean as well. Just shows how connected African Americans and Afro-Caribbean are. All came from the same parts of west Africa.

[@mizfrenchtwist]

yes , connected in that , caribbean blacks are slaves , that never made it to the states . they were dropped off in the caribbean to work in the sugar cane fields etc ..........

[@enigmatiika]

!!!!

[@thelouisfanclub]

I’m Nigerian and we have Pepper Soup which looks quite similar !

[@chocolate001able]

Yes!! My mom is from Portland Jamaica and used to make pepper pot soup.

[@wahniewashington7167]

In Liberia, we call it pepper soup too.

[@Nadya2004]

Pepper pot is a popular dish in Jamaica. I only heard about it from Jamaicans. Now I’m wondering if these recipes came from the same region in Africa and curious to know how it was passed along.

[@Lill2895]

Same boat, different stops 🙌🏾 I think a lot of what the diaspora does and celebrates is verbal and physical learning as it's always been. Wherever we go, we take a little bit of home with us, so we all have a lot of similarities.

[@Jannah1]

Sometimes, enslavers held property in the Caribbean and in what would become the US, and would traffic the enslaved people they held around their properties. So at least a few enslaved Africans would have come to the North American mainland via the Caribbean, and vice versa.

[@thelouisfanclub]

I’m from Nigeria and we have a popular dish called pepper soup which is prepared in a similar way, maybe it came from that

[@twebster179]

I'm in a Haitian food group on FB. I'm going to share this.

[@lucybunwa5833]

yeah it’s called pepper om soup

[@BeeWhistler]

That regular folks conversation just showed me why people do these reenactments. It’s so hard to relate to anyone from that time but especially people they just didn’t write about the way they should have.

[@lavenderdust7912]

Let's please appreciate all the love she put into making that pepper pot. You can clearly see the outmost respect she has for every woman who made that delicious dish and sold it to survive. Her deep connection with women throughout history is just so touching and empowering. You can FEEL the lives and history of those women coming alive after centuries of being whitewashed and obscured. I often find myself holding back tears, I can feel what those women felt. She's clearly the best at what she does, I'm so thankful for her work.

[@motherofbeagles8532]

Did people carry their own cups or bowls to eat on the street? Did they always have a container ready, such as we nowadays always carry a water cup? Thank you - very interesting!

[@phyllishigley1836]

I wondered that too.

[@Eloraurora]

I've read historical novels that mention someone ordering a beer and paying the cost of the drink and the mug, the latter to be refunded when the empty mug was returned intact. I don't know if that was a widespread practice, though.

[@lear0612]

I have read somewhere that in England usually poorer people would carry around some sort of bowl/cup for whatever was given out at work but maybe that practice was also American.

[@EmilReiko]

@@lear0612 it was common all over europe to bring your eating equipment with you, bowl cup and cutlery.

[@penelopefp]

@@lear0612 it would make sense that immigrants probably brought that practice with them. ??

[@CMAlongi]

I had never even heard of pepper pot before this video. (Pasty white Minnesotan girl here.) I immediately googled some recipes because it looks SO GOOD here. Gonna give it a try! Thank you for these videos! The Fugitive Slave Act is probably one of the worst laws we've ever passed. I hate that it's a part of our history, but it's so necessary to learn about it and its impact. Watching the two women chat about being taken off the street the way me and my friends complain about bad drivers or annoying family members gave me chills.

[@VanNessy97]

It reminded me of how my generation tweeted about SWAT forces committing needless acts of violence against peaceful black protesters. Some things change without ever truly changing.

[@CMAlongi]

@@VanNessy97 :(

[@MeganKnighthackademic]

West African Pepper Soup is also really good. There's a Netflix series: High on the Hog, which traces African food cultures through the USA, and is so good (and will make you so hungry to watch).

[@CMAlongi]

@@MeganKnighthackademic I'll give that a try! Thank you!

[@lorrilewis2178]

I love these videos and your comment, but was it necessary to refer to yourself (and by extension all white people) as "pasty"? Our skin color evolved to absorb the lesser Vitamin D in the cold environments our ancestors came from. No need to drag yourself down to lift another.

[@l.m.2404]

Cheney, you are truly a powerful voice for a part of history overlooked by most. Say the names...hell, carve those names in stone, shout them from the rooftops, write songs and poems about them, just do not forget. Thank you for this thoughtful and beautifully filmed series.

[@xMidnightxRunnerx]

"Do well by yourself!" 🥺 We need to bring that back, that's lovely

[@caribbeantigress]

Hiii we have our version of “pepperpot” here in Puerto Rico. It’s called Sancocho it has tuberous vegetable 🌽 like Ñame, Yautia, Papa, malanga, and beef 🥩 with bone it is very delicious it doesn’t contain hot pepper but we can add “Pique” a sauce made with ají a small piquant chili 🌶 of the tabasco family.The enslaved people here at the hacienda took their rations and made a stew in a pot to eat.

[@Oonagh72]

I can believe Philadelphia was home to the first foodies. I’m a vegetarian and never once did I go hungry or have a bad meal. Philadelphia was the trip that made me learn to cook tofu, and become a better vegetarian cook. The food isn’t like gourmet, it’s like someone invited you to their house and made you the best meal. I found out what comfort food actually was! I read that Philly was the fattest city in the US, and I say “they have every right!” They ain’t getting fat on junk.

[@Mspbrwn77]

Aww being a Philadelphian this warms my heart. We do have some great food lol

[@cottonhairedaesthetic2005]

This how I feel about Louisiana 😄

[@InNorwayIMaWitch]

@@cottonhairedaesthetic2005 yesss Louisiana and Texas comfort food

[@InNorwayIMaWitch]

@@Mspbrwn77 I grew up in partly in Maryland and went to Philly a lot the food is awesome, but I’m initially Texan Louisianan and that food hits the spot just as well ✨

[@bettinaheuser8544]

Well... after seeing some of your vids, I, as a german, am absolutely stunned how eurocentric (that's a word?) history is teached in school. I was a history major in school, but we hardly had anything but european history (and historical european politics over and over again) in class. But of course, as a german citizen, all about the IIWW... three times. Or even for times. But even then rarely from the viewpoint of the supressed or "against the regime fighters" (only learned that students like the white rose or Soldiers like Stauffenberg existed, never really talked about them in school), majorly from a political point of view. So I am really happy you provide us with this mostly untold part of history so interested (and less interested tbh, your videos are quite entertaining) folks can educate themselves more. Thank you!

[@plumbawl5977]

You are a tremedous, personable, informed with hands on historical experiences, passionate professional film making teacher!

[@bettinaheuser8544]

@@plumbawl5977 I hope you mean notyourmommashistory ^^ I am a shoemaker, left my academic career some time ago, however I am still quite the history buff XD

[@plumbawl5977]

I did mean to send this to NYMH. Btw Your comments are interesting.

[@bettinaheuser8544]

@@plumbawl5977 okay^^ thx for the claryfication... and I guess I'll take it as a compliment?! (don't feel obligated to answer me XD)

[@juliusroman8616]

A good book to read is Stamped, by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds.

[@relaxationstation7634]

I saw your channel got a shoutout on last month’s Elle magazine!! Congrats! That is HUGE!!

[@sammj5638]

Say their names and speak their deeds. 🧡 Thank you so much. Being Scottish we would have studied European history, very little about American. We learn so much from you, from the clothes to the food. I've always had a passion for food history. We have Mrs. Beeton's book from 1861 and 100 historical recipes which my daughter and I would cook from.

[@psychedelicpegasus7587]

I recommend F. Marian McNeills books :) The Scots Kitchen, Cellar and there is one about the island of Iona.

[@vickievanmiddel4284]

I'm Scottish too and yes we had nothing...I wasn't even allowed to do my English personal essay on Malcolm X.

[@zelphiaellerson6283]

Cheney! As a Philly Girl, Thank you for highlighting 'our' famous Pepper Pot soup AND mentioning the convoluted, ever changing slavery laws in PA!

[@brittanyb.300]

Say their names and speak their deeds. Gave me chills! Proud to have West African blood in my veins. Learning so much from your and I thank you. Learning what they gone through. Makes me weep. Proud of my ancestors. Pushing through. Being strong.

[@soulaandefender]

You're white your ancestors were colonizing Africa during these times 🥸

[@janeunion8748]

Recently read Michael Twitty’s “Cooking Gene”. It was fascinating to learn how much of American cuisine derives from African American sources. Thanks for your great videos!

[@skyllalafey]

Saw him on Townsend's channel, he's great! I may need to get that book.

[@jillventimeglia8516]

I read that book, as well. Amazing how the most addictive substances (tobacco and sugar) were labor intensive which propagated enslavement.

[@cmcmahon66]

Excellent and informative! Wonder if this is why “Pepper Pot” was a campbells soup flavor, considering that Campbells was from right across the river in Camden?

[@altbunni9843]

I wish school systems would properly educate like these videos. Thank you for making them and educating myself and others.

[@jaymillymills]

Being from Philly, I have often walked through some of the old brick spaces wondering what it would be like for me if I lived in a different time. I love you for this.

[@amyjanefrater1447]

I am touched by the way that your videos relate negatives and positives, showing that evil cannot overwhelm good hearts. You bring insight about events of the past and how we continue to face issues of slavery happening in our midst.

[@silkfantasies5899]

What a deeply profound statment; "Say their names and speak their deeds."

[@Mazou-tj4ne]

When I saw Quansheba coming closer to Judith, I was afraid for a moment that she was gonna kidnap her and I was relieved to see that they were friends!

[@lharrigan_tv]

Chesney, I'm a friend of Carolyn and Jerome. I provided alot of the music (tracks) and supervision for their Rhonda MD series. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy watching this series ... You're a brilliant actress, historian and narrator. Love your work!

[@ReineDeScene]

Have you read Fever 1793? It’s about Philly during the yellow fever epidemic and one of the prominent characters is a free black woman. It was one of my favorite books as a child and I just reread it as an adult. Pepper pot is mentioned there and it sent me down a colonial food rabbit hole. #SayTheirNames. You’re doing such amazing work bringing focus to POC throughout history.

[@itsstar4171]

I loved Fever 1973! I read it when I was like 11 and I think it's time to read it agin!

[@InNorwayIMaWitch]

@@itsstar4171 read that for school fever 1793, it’s widely taught through Maryland. It’s a very interesting book I’m from Texas but on and off moved between Texas and Maryland. The school system is very different on what is taught and what is brought to light.

[@lawrencescales9864]

I used to work at the museum for the American revolution. Crazy to see it here on KZbin, especially in your incredible series. I hope you do a video on the AME here in Philly!

[@cadileigh9948]

hey you're back ! Glad to see you but your pepper pot is so different from that I ate in our extremly multi racial house in London 1970 That was before I went to LA and was shocked that friends said I was out of step for chatting to black people in the appartment building ! In London we were 6 girls sharing, Swedish, Malayan, Welsh, Polish , Scottish and Kathy who was Guyanese who was an entire uN in herself, a little Scots , Chineese , Indian and also South American Indian but mostly African. Her Pepper pot was based on a whole chicken with lots of rice and mixed veg including okra and yes very spicy. It could last us 2-3 days . I still make it even though I can't persuade okra to grow here in the Welsh rainforest.

[@ieattofu68]

Thanks for your history lesson! I would love to taste you pepper pot! I think I want to try making my own!

[@KKIcons]

Spiderwort flower grows everywhere. Maybe it could add a similar texture? It has mild flavor. It's also just a great plant that always has flowers and naturalizes like crazy.

[@cadileigh9948]

Thanks I will look it up but if you are in the US and that is it's natural habitat It might be inapropriate to let it loose in Wales . We have trouble with all the plants Victorians brought back from around the world which have no natural predators@@KKIcons

[@cadileigh9948]

@@KKIcons It is known here as Tradescantia after the English botanist who collected it from the New World his family worked for royal gardens for centuries Here it is grown as a house plant and sometimes uses as a summer bedding plant. I recognise the slimy okra texture from taking cuttings

[@DivaAfro]

Forgive me, if I misunderstood but I believe the local supermarkets carry Okra.You might have been referring to growing the plants, to which I’d agree would be a little difficult to achieve in Wales. Otherwise, Okra would be at most supermarkets or Asian, African or Caribbean stores.

[@plumbawl5977]

You are a passionate, professional teacher with hands on historical experiences needing to be shared and tremendous personable story telling with excellent film making accomplishments!

[@lunatykica5636]

I don't think I've ever heard about "gradual abolition before" though I have heard about the kidnapping. I'm surprised to learn there were so many free folk in the area in that period.

[@Replicaate]

I think I'm going to look up and make some pepper pot recipes of my own sometime, in honor of Judith and all the other entrepreneurial women of early America whose names never got recorded. Keep up the great work.

[@mrs.g.9816]

I've always loved pepper pot, and have made it several times for winter eating. I lost the family recipe, so I use a recipe from a cookbook by Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Gourmet". According to Mr. Smith's comments in the recipe, the pepper pot vendors used to cry out, "Pepper pot, smokin' hot!". My Mom was born and raised in Philadelphia, so I first tasted this wonderful soup when I was small. To suit her taste and those of the younger children the pepper pot soup was mild, but I always loved it spicy! I wondered while watching the video if there would be any concerned onlookers who would at least try to step in and thwart the kidnappings. Your reenactment made me think of Judith, her friend, and other free Black citizens having to be on the lookout for kidnappers and it brought this horror home.

[@TaharkahX]

I never even heard of "pepper pot women". This is interesting! Thanks.

[@MuseAndDionysus]

This is a dish that I never knew about. Thank you for the education! This series is so wonderful!

[@lorikraus8087]

I love this series. It puts a name and a face on the people who were literally the backbone of society. I know many never received much respect, but I have nothing but respect for these people. I’d love more recognition for their many contributions to all parts of the United States. We see it in our food, music, duty to God, Family and Country, their military service, and broken backs. I look forward to more videos like this. It’s much appreciated.

[@tatianaa5441]

I love your channel, you represent the crucial yet often overlooked side of history so well. I'm not from the US and your channel really shows outsiders like me a side to US history we know little about. Thank you for the work you do.

[@MissCarlyJoy]

5:50 when you showed Judith asserting the value of her work and product 👍🏽

[@sandythornton5552]

Can your stories be incorporated into schools curriculums? Florida, too? What an awesome portrayal of life as was in very gentle terms! Thank you!!!

[@tibbe3178]

I remember when I watched the princess and the frog as a little kid, my favourite scene was when she made gumbo soup. it made me feel so happy and hungry, and I got the same feeling when I watched Judith sell her pepper pot :D

[@jeannainnc8390]

Omg. As a homeschooling parent I am always on the hunt for quality education for my children. Your production is beautiful. I am including it in my American history grade 8 lesson plans.

[@ailem2707]

Your work is so important. Thank you so much

[@mariapandemiamx1473]

I’m just a Mexican woman very interested in the history of humanity and especially social issues. Commenting to support the channel. Love the videos. Thank you. 💜

[@misbeautifulable]

Irish people were slaves too. My great great grandmother came from there and so did my dad’s grandparents. Don’t know about my mom’s dad side all I know the last name was Burns

[@saveyourmachine]

Thank you for this video! I had pepper pot in Philadelphia at City Tavern (miss that place!) a few years ago but knew nothing about its history. I'm from the Philly area and never knew about this important dish!

[@thealphaandomega9348]

Sadly many of the black community do not know their ancestors names nor have a way of searching and locating them. Our entire identities were taken from us when we arrived in Jamaica and the U.S. centuries ago. The colonizers knew that by removing our identities that they could have total control, use and manipulate our beings into what they wanted. Thankfully we have historians like you and others who are keeping parts of our unknown history alive.

[@jeffpagan7735]

It's courageous to be black and a history reenactor. The past wasn't kind to black people.

[@thealphaandomega9348]

It's courageous being a black person living in the modern world for any black person. But Oh God when these tables flip, you will know just how powerful we are in gaining retribution for past and present violations.

[@juneroberts5305]

@@thealphaandomega9348 That is quite a foolish statement. The most dangerous country for black people is the US, and not all blacks live in the US.

[@thealphaandomega9348]

@@juneroberts5305 I disagree. Blacks in the U.S do not fear your kind anymore. This isn't the 1800s nor is it civil rights America. Thanks to support from Biden, BLM and organizations support for my people, we are dominating and making a world in our image. I am also licensed to carry and practice regularly. Be safe out there Karen. 😊

[@juneroberts5305]

@@thealphaandomega9348 'My kind' - you mean the kind that doesn't live in the US and have no fear when a policeman pulls me or my husband over during a normal traffic control? Or 'my kind' as in British? Perhaps 'my kind' as in those who do not assume things about others? Help me out here, please.

[@thealphaandomega9348]

@@juneroberts5305 I am thankful that I am licensed to carry so that I may defend myself against you people. It is my 2nd Amendment right. 😊

[@marylillico6948]

So well done. Thank you for telling their story.

[@JudithSanchez-ht6jn]

Wonderful to know that Philadelphia was not slavery . When I went to Puerto Rico in my hometown museum I saw a old old photo newspaper an add that a reward for capture a run away slave,

[@my_oh_my]

After watching, I’m going to need to Google how to make pepper pot.

[@helloMerrMerr]

Your voice is so soothing, I could listen to you talk about history all day 🌸✨

[@frankieamsden7918]

Was it common for people to carry a cup with them or only if they were going out specifically to eat? Was it common to hug as a greeting? Thank you for saying their names.

[@starshiranui33]

I'd never heard of pepper pot before nor the history behind it and it's absolutely fascinating. This is the kind of history we should have been learning in schools and even at 32 I absolutely love to learn more about what had not been taught. (White girl originally from Georgia then moved to Texas, you can... understand why history was whitewashed to heck and back.)

[@ennanitsua]

This is so wonderful! Thank you for the lesson. And I'm incredibly curious to try some pepper pot now :) I grew up in Philly and didn't learn about the gradual abolition in school. Thank you again!

[@baileywright3113]

Your videos are the gem of KZbin. You deserve all the recognition.

[@LDrosophila]

Judith, Quansheba, Catherine, Mary, Maria, Hester, Ruth, Heady, and Elizabeth I am saddened we dont know more about these woman but grateful we can at least peer into a small aspect of their lives and can still say their names.

[@sweepandsooty]

I've never heard of pepper pot before - this is so interesting!!! 😀

[@skarletpowers3016]

History should remember their names, remember that they had voices we can still hear today.

[@morayo2379]

Pepper pot reminds me of a Nigerian dish my mom usually makes called Pepper Soup. It was made similar to the pepper pop except without corn and there would usually be fish.

[@gdust6579]

these videos are so peaceful. not to antagonize as a white person because racism and slavery is not ok but i just like how they depict a slower paced, more down to earth life. and i respect black ppl who work hard and learn skills. its something to be proud of your history and your documentaries show that

[@tracybartels7535]

I was so happy to see another installment in this fantastic series! Not only did I learn a lot, but now between the video and the comments, I'm intrigued by "pepper pot" and how it seems to be any spiced stew with ingredients to local taste, all over the world. And staying so close to the enslavers (although I'm sure they were everywhere) is something we don't think enough about- wow! Thanks for your series- it's wonderful as are all of your many videos I binged on a couple of weeks ago.

[@ShesGottaFastCar]

In my humble opinion, Black women have always been and will always be the most industrious people on the planet.

[@yesterdaydream]

Your cinematography so powerfully illustrates your historical interpretations. Thanks for all you do!

[@teaforthepoor]

The thing that I found to be the most powerful in this video was the emphasis on how normal conversation was between enslaved people during those times and just how... they're human. One can be soft-spoken, someone else can be jovial, and another can be loud and blunt. But together, they are all the same people and aren't just the exaggerated drawings we see in history classes. It really presses into just how horrible and depressing it is to know that all of these people were seen as property, as machinery. I'm so happy I found your channel from my recommendations. ❤️

[@YuBeace]

I know this may be a lot of work to fix but as someone with auditory processing issues, I’m gonna have to point out the closed captions are a little delayed with minor errors here and there (posting this comment about 2:20 minutes in.) Thank you regardless, most people just turn on auto-caption and call it a day. Not even checking on it for a second. These videos are so incredibly well constructed and detailed. It’s just… real, you know what I mean? Really gets you thinking about life and the reality of things.

[@aprilrichards762]

The Pepper Pot looks delicious! I'm on the other side of Pennsylvania and never heard of it before.

[@blackdiamond173]

Not sure how I stumbled on this channel but it's amazing to see this history in this light. 👌🏾 SAY THERE NAMES💯. This is definitely some knowledge that has been slept on .

[@soulfoodsmama2980]

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

[@livewellwitheds6885]

so much power in a name great music who else wants pepper pot now? have u ever thought of making it in Philly for a historical event? may be very cool/interactive

[@slashnyaoi]

This is how history should be taught - up close and personal

[@photostrips]

Awesome! I think this is my favorite one in the series so far 💪🏾✊🏾

[@user-ut7wz7mh2r]

I just found your channel, and wanted to say thank you for your dedication to history and for bringing it to the public for free in such a clear light. Too often we overlooked the less than fun parts of our history, and it's important that we remember it as it was. So cheers, keep up the great work, and you've got my subscription

[@Raja-bz4yw]

I was born n raised in Philly. Not once have I heard of pepper pot. I gotta look this up now to make a modern version

[@zucchinibreath666]

Thank you so much!

[@leoscheibelhut940]

Great information as always. I try to watch all of your stuff.

[@ShebrewQueen]

I've never heard of a pepper pot. Thank you for this video.

[@mrs.beverlyholtz-music8835]

Pepper Pot women remind me of the women in my community who sell tamales door to door or in parking lots to make ends meet. Thanks for shining a light on too often unseen and un remembered people.

[@localcryptid740]

I've lived in the greater Philly area for seven years and have never once heard of pepper pot. Now I have to make some for myself.

[@turnonmyaxel]

Such an amazing series. That ending was so powerful

[@MrsClintA]

I wish I would have known about this before vacationing in Philadelphia to see the museums. I also wonder what Pepper Pot tastes like, it sound good!

[@wortblume2317]

As a European we already only know the basics about American History, yet alone Black American history. This is an eye-opening project, thank you so much for this

[@kailawebb]

I look forward to these videos so much! It's a shame none of this is taught in history classes, but it's better to learn late than never. Thank you for all you do!

[@alli_mode]

Would people bring their own bowls and such with them as they roamed the street?

[@rejoyce318]

I was wondering that myself, especially at 5:35 I laughed at 5:48 - YES!

[@LindsayDaly]

I'm curious about this too!

[@katwitanruna]

I know it wasn’t unusual in the Middle Ages. Or at least to have a spoon and knife for eating on one’s person.

[@ragnkja]

Most people probably only brought a bowl, jug or mug with them if they were specifically going out to buy food or drink.

[@alli_mode]

@@ragnkja that's what I was thinking even before i asked, but i wanted to know for sure.

[@vampirevenus]

I have recently discovered your channel and I have to thank you. The tiny town I am from had a curriculum that was just full of revisionist history. I never realized how much till I went to college. I can say with certainty that when it came to black folks they were mentioned only as slaves in relation to the civil war and Rev. Martin Luther King. I never knew most of the actual history. They very much made it seem like in any other circumstance other folks were unimportant background characters with nothing of interest about them…if they were mentioned at all. I am so happy to learn more and see things from another perspective. There are so many amazing people that should be honored and have their stories told. Thank you so much for your work!

[@MizzKittyBichon]

5:48 Pepper Pot Lady: There's your pepper pot, now pay up!

[@dr.a2160]

I love the way you were selling the pepper pot, so dignified and educated. Many documentaries portray the most uncouth depictions of OUR American ancestors and such an upscale classy depiction of these terroists. Movie makers are constantly throwing shade on our ancestors, thus re-glorifying their participation in the bondage of human beings. Always finding any method to exploit African Americans. It sickens me, but I stand for them in my own way. It’s my sole reason for living. Love my ancestors 😊

[@abigailbp9294]

I am in love with your channel... We need more stories and facts about women. No matter how you slice it, women in most cultures are the most marginalized and forgotten. It should not be this way. Thank you for your channel! And thank you to all the women of the world who care, nurture, love, liberate and show us all a better way

[@BougieBrownSugar]

Thank you so much for this. The first time I heard about Pepper Pot Smoking Hot was by watching “High on the Hog”.

[@Agaettis]

I've never heard of pepper pot before! Thank you for bringing Judith's story to us ❤

[@holzlastname1976]

Watching this and listening to you talk about this pepper pot is making me so hungry. Also I love these outfits so beautiful ❤️ and thank you for teaching us the history we were deprived of in schools.

[@ipetzombies]

Thank you for bringing attention to such neglected pieces of history.

[@lindajanke6194]

Thank you Cheney, for these informative and beautifully made films. Some of my ancestors had enslaved people, but I knew little of their lives. My former husband was descended from an enslaved woman. My grandchildren are interested in their black as well as their white ancestors. Thank you for educating us on the lives of these talented and historically overlooked people.

[@implespaynter]

Thank you for doing this, as black woman from Philadelphia it’s powerful to see!

[@TsubikiKoya]

These videos are so cool. I have rarely ever learned about the personal lives of black people during this time period.

[@johnvonundzu2170]

I suppose you know about the painting: Pepper-Pot: A Scene in the Philadelphia Market by John Lewis Krimmel, 1811.

[@fioletowemikroby4757]

Thank you for the video!

[@Abby-kp7yg]

the POV approach is riveting, don't stop

[@yippee8570]

Makes me think how, even now, the world over, oppressed people will do whatever they have to in order to survive, risking violence, persecution, unsafe working practices, you name it. Thank you so much for bringing this vibrant history to life. You are a blessing!