The Thug Kitchen Controversy

Thug Kitchen is a popular blog, and now a best-selling book that features vegan recipes juxtaposed with black and white images containing swear words. Until recently, no one knew who the faces behind Thug Kitchen were. It turns out Thug Kitchen consists of Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis, a white couple living in Hollywood.

That revelation led to outrage and downright betrayal felt by some in the African American community. Book tour events in the bay area were cancelled amidst threats of protests, and the online chatter about the book has shifted from brussels sprouts to race and vernacular. Some called it a form of internet blackface. We hear from authors Matt and Michelle and Bryant Terry, a northern California food activist who has been working to share the healthy food message throughout communities of color. Terry wrote an interesting commentary on this controversy for CNN.