Marcia Chatelain: How Fast Food Became Black Food

A Zoom talk by Marcia Chatelain, followed by open discussion, about her book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, moderated by CHNY Vice-President, Linda Pelaccio.

Is fast food the hero or the villain in Black America?

Often blamed for the rising rates of obesity and diabetes among Black Americans, fast food restaurants like McDonald’s have long symbolized capitalism’s villainous effects on our nation’s most vulnerable communities. But how did fast food restaurants so thoroughly saturate Black neighborhoods in the first place?

With insights from her new book, Franchise, The Golden Arches in Black America, Dr. Marcia Chatelain, a Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor of History and African American studies at Georgetown University,  led an engaging conversation on the history of the development of fast food franchises and the intersections with race relations, dietary health, Black capitalism, discrimination, and social change.

00:00:00 Opening
00:00:21 Introduction by Cathy Kaufman
00:03:06 Welcome to Marcia Chatelain from Linda Pelaccio
00:08:21 Marcia Chatelain’s Presentation
00:27:52 Question and Answers
01:15:19 Applause and Wrap Up