On May 10, 2021, I had the honor of talking to two incredible women who are both leaders in their own right, and who both work in food from very different places of pursuit. Sharing stories, perspectives and expertise from people of different backgrounds is one way to bring equity into our lives. Who has an opportunity to share their voice? Are we hearing stories that expand our understanding, not just affirming assumptions?

The two women leaders, Perteet Spencer and Leonisa Johnson shared their backgrounds and how they apply their skills and knowledge to their respective roles as a co-founder of a new and burgeoning food brand dedicated to helping the lives of farmers in Africa and providing an opportunity for people abroad to share in the community currently unfamiliar flavors of West Africa; and as a Program Manager at a nonprofit that works with public school gardens as a way to share experiences with young students to equip them with tools to begin to apply their own learnings to make choices around food and also to begin to question systems and situations in their communities. The goal of this conversation is to help widen our aperture of thought, and to be inspired by these incredible leaders hailing from Chicago and New York City.

Perteet: We started AYO to build a more inclusive grocery store that represented the ingredients and flavors of West Africa that we have enjoyed as a family.

Food is a form of cultural expression and provides a unique opportunity for people to expand their worldview. We are excited to have the opportunity to spotlight foods that have been historically marginalized through building the AYO brand. At AYO, we also believe that we have a personal responsibility to enrich the communities that inspired our products – we bring this to life through thoughtful sourcing and broader community partnerships.

Leonisa: In urban areas, young people are often told about healthy eating from people who do not look like them. I have the opportunity to talk with students, to educate and provide experience, and from there, they do the hard work of starting to question other, larger topics. It allows young people to begin to think of and work towards different outcomes for themselves. I help to uplift what is already in the community that is working without the assumption that people have nothing. They work hard to present the food they put on their tables, and they take pride in what that food says about them. Access is a voice.

Watch the full conversation below –

Thank you to Perteet and Leonisa for your time and your story sharing. Perteet is venturing into a space that maybe we don’t often see people of color going, and Leonisa is preparing more young people to enter into those spaces at a young age so that by the time they are ready, seeing more people of color in roles not often open to them will be normalized for this next generation.