Podcast: Kj Kearney: Leading Black Food Fridays To Celebrate And Empower Black Culinary Excellence.

KJ Kearney is one of the most dynamic voices in modern food culture. More than just a content creator, he is a passionate community organizer, historian, and media entrepreneur who has successfully mobilized a national movement through the power of food, garnering both a James Beard Award and an Emmy nomination along the way.

Early Life and Formative Journey

Born at the old Naval Hospital in North Charleston in 1983 to Army parents stationed in Germany, Kearney's first words came out in German—a testament to the global perspective that would later define his work. Raised in the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and a product of Charleston County Schools, Kearney was a self-described nerd who grew up reading encyclopedias and introducing people to things they were unfamiliar with. He attended South Carolina State University, where he became a proud graduate and Life Member of the historically Black institution, home of the "Mighty Bulldogs" and the renowned "Mighty 101" marching band.

Kearney's path to food advocacy was anything but linear. He initially channeled his passion for social justice into direct political action. In 2016, he ran for South Carolina State House District 15 as a Democratic candidate—a race he would lose but later describe as "a blessing in disguise" that taught him he wasn't yet ready for that role. Following his campaign, he served as field director for the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, where he gained crucial insights into how politics actually works and came to understand that regular people—not systems, power, or privilege—need to be the focus of meaningful change.

His work as a substitute teacher and teacher's assistant helped him find his element, and this realization would eventually lead him to community organizing and, ultimately, to Black Food Fridays. It was at his Aunt Shirley's house, over a pot of red rice, that food and politics would merge into his life's calling.

Community Engagement: The Foundation

While Black Food Fridays has brought Kearney national recognition, his professional foundation remains grounded in direct community work. As Community Engagement Program Manager for Charleston Promise Neighborhood—a nonprofit serving historically underserved areas of Charleston County—Kearney works directly with adult residents to organize around issues that matter most to them. His role involves attending neighborhood association meetings, city council sessions, school board meetings, and community events, developing strategies to elevate community needs to appropriate resources.

This dual identity—nonprofit community organizer by day, food influencer by night—is not a contradiction but a synergy. As Kearney describes it: "I get paid to be nosey!" His expertise in bridging divides by highlighting commonalities while not shying away from discussing differences makes him uniquely positioned to use food as a tool for community organizing, both online and in the neighborhoods where he works. He has also served as head coach for the 4th and 5th-grade co-ed basketball team at Sanders-Clyde Creative Arts School, organizes Community Resource Nights that bring together families and essential services, and has served on multiple boards including the YWCA of Greater Charleston's selection committee for the 2019 Riley Vision Award.

The Black Food Fridays Movement

Black Food Fridays began on April 5, 2020, as a direct, actionable response to the economic crisis facing Black-owned food businesses during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mission: The platform, hosted primarily on Instagram and TikTok, encourages everyone to dedicate their Friday food and beverage spending to Black-owned restaurants, caterers, and food entrepreneurs. It is a simple, non-divisive approach to social justice and economic empowerment.

The Growth: What started as a modest directory quickly grew into a massive social media phenomenon, especially following the social and political movements of mid-2020. This "June boom" saw over 3,300 new followers join in a single month, solidifying Kearney's vision and proving the hunger for a platform that celebrates Black culinary excellence while providing tangible, economic support. Black Food Fridays has since grown to reach over 500,000 people across all platforms, with more than 217,000 followers on Instagram and 150,000+ on TikTok.

Industry Recognition: The movement's innovative use of social media to drive real-world economic change earned Black Food Fridays the prestigious 2024 James Beard Media Award in the Social Media Account category, a high honor underscoring its cultural and industry significance. The platform was also nominated twice for James Beard Awards, cementing its status as a transformative force in food media.

This reach has led to features and mentions in major publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Today Show, Eater, Mic.com, Gastro Obscura, Bet.com, and Good Morning America.

Gullah-Geechee Heritage and Cultural Advocacy

Kearney's work is deeply rooted in his personal history as a native of North Charleston, South Carolina, and his connection to the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. His advocacy extends beyond simply recommending restaurants; it involves educating the public on the profound and often overlooked contributions of Black people to global cuisine.

Red Rice Day: A key achievement in cultural preservation was his successful advocacy for the formal recognition of "Red Rice Day" in the city of Charleston in 2018. Kearney wrote the proclamation that was approved by Mayor John Tecklenburg, creating a formal acknowledgment by the Charleston city government of the cultural and culinary significance of this Gullah-Geechee dish. This day celebrates the culinary foundations of the Gullah-Geechee people—direct descendants of enslaved Africans from West Africa—whose rice-growing expertise shaped the history and cuisine of the Lowcountry. He also planned and hosted a panel discussion about modern Gullah-Geechee cultural issues and a free Red Rice tasting at the City Gallery. This achievement was particularly meaningful to Kearney, given that South Carolina has a holiday called Confederate Memorial Day; his mindset was "how do we make change without being overt about it."

#BlackFoodFacts: He utilizes the hashtag #BlackFoodFacts to deliver "bite-sized" history lessons on everything from the role of African Americans in whiskey distillation (such as how a Black man taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey) to the connection between Black culture and cognac (particularly Hennessy and its ties to Tuskegee Airmen and HBCUs), to the relationship between West African jollof rice and Lowcountry red rice. As Kearney explains: "Black history is American history. Black Food Fridays drives the fact home that a lot of the stuff we take for granted was created by Black people. When someone watches my videos, the feeling or emotion that I want them to walk away with is, 'Huh, I didn't know that!'"

Media and Storytelling Empire

Kearney has successfully transitioned his expertise into various media channels, positioning himself as a leading voice building a media empire focused on Black food narratives.

Television Presence:

• "High on the Hog" (Netflix): He appeared in the Peabody Award-winning Netflix documentary series based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris's book, which traces the profound impact of African American cuisine on American food culture. The series, hosted by Stephen Satterfield, became a cultural phenomenon and helped elevate Black food storytelling to mainstream audiences.

• "Delicious Ms. Brown" (Food Network): Kearney appeared on celebrity chef Kardea Brown's hit Food Network show, further solidifying his presence in mainstream culinary media.

• "Citizen Better" (PBS Digital Studios): As the host of this Emmy-nominated PBS series produced by South Carolina ETV, which premiered on December 19, 2023, Kearney explored civic engagement and social issues, demonstrating his versatile talent for compelling, informative video content beyond food topics. The show showcased his ability to make complex civic topics accessible and engaging.

"Bite the Power": This is Kearney's signature storytelling event series, which he is developing into a television property. Described as being like "if TED Talk had a baby with Creative Mornings... and both of those people happen to be black," or more precisely, "like TED and PechaKucha had a baby, but Black," the events feature Black food creatives who share stories on how they use food to build community—the literal meaning of "bite the power."

The events follow a precisely structured format: each speaker presents exactly 16 slides, spending 30 seconds on each slide, for a total of 8 minutes—a format that demands tight storytelling and powerful delivery. The 2024 inaugural tour, sponsored by Lawry's Seasoning Salt, hit Charleston and Brooklyn, with both stops selling out in hours. A planned Toronto stop was cancelled after selling only two tickets, a lesson Kearney transparently shared with his audience about the importance of relationships and local connections. Rather than viewing this as defeat, he turned it into a learning opportunity, conducting feedback sessions with Charleston and Brooklyn attendees to improve future iterations.

Plans for 2025 include an ambitious 18-city tour, transforming "Bite the Power" into what Kearney envisions as a television property and a permanent fixture in Black food storytelling. The Charleston Wine + Food Festival's 2025 edition features a special "Bite the Power" multi-course dinner with 100 seats, five Black chefs, three speakers, and what Kearney promises will be "unlimited positive vibes."

Substack Newsletter: He is the author of the popular Substack newsletter, "Who Made the Potato Salad?" The title itself is a cultural reference to a question that conveys important information about the quality and tradition of a dish in the Black community—asking who made the potato salad isn't just about curiosity; it's about quality, tradition, and trust. The newsletter provides deeper dives into the history, culture, and business of Black foodways, allowing Kearney to explore topics with more depth and nuance than Instagram or TikTok allows.

Brand Partnerships and Corporate Collaborations

Kearney's influence has attracted partnerships with major brands and organizations seeking authentic connections to Black food culture. His work in the food space includes hosting events, tours, dinners, and fireside chats for organizations such as:

• Pepsi "Dig-In" Initiative: Created social media content for Pepsi's program supporting Black-owned restaurants
• Amazon: Worked with the Black Amazon Employee Network on events and programming
• Lawry's Seasoning Salt: Secured sponsorship for the 2024 "Bite the Power" tour
• Charleston Visitors Bureau: Conducts Soul Food tours and cultural programming
• Charleston Wine + Food Festival: Regular participant and event host
• Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture: Hosts events and tours
• Culinary Creatives Conference: Speaker and panelist

Writing and Broader Social Commentary

Beyond short-form social media content and his Substack newsletter, Kearney's writing background extends to politics and social justice. He has written extensively on the Charleston Massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church, Charleston's official apology for slavery, and the intersection of race and politics in South Carolina. One of his articles, "Safety pins, symbolism, and why I was like 'naw, Son,'" discussing the #SafetyPin movement after Donald Trump's 2016 election, was marked as one of the best pieces from Black writers on Medium. His ability to communicate complex ideas in layman's terms while maintaining cultural authenticity has become a hallmark of his work across all platforms.

Community Organizing Philosophy

What distinguishes Kearney from typical food influencers is his grounding in community organizing principles. As he often says: "Y'all. The Internet is not a real place. Throwing up a black square or simply Instagramming about change isn't real. And while it does help to get the word out, real change comes from being in proximity to the real issues. Also, this is important: Voting is only step one in a 10-step process."

This philosophy drives his insistence that "Bite the Power" take Black Food Fridays "off the Internet and plunk it down IRL" (in real life). He understands that movements aren't just powered by causes—thousands of worthy causes exist—but by great storytelling that stays in the collective consciousness. His work with Charleston Promise Neighborhood, combined with his viral social media presence, demonstrates his belief that lasting change requires both digital amplification and boots-on-the-ground community engagement.

He has moderated panels on nonprofit effectiveness, including "How Nonprofits Can Better Center Community" at Together SC's 2024 summit, where he explored how nonprofits can better serve communities by putting local voices first. His message to supporters and allies is clear: "Please speak about me in rooms I don't know exist."

Personal Life and Interests

When not organizing communities or building his media empire, Kearney can be found making loose leaf tea, giving Soul Food tours for Charleston Wine + Food Festival, trying to read all of Octavia Butler's books, debating which sneakers to purchase next (he's a reformed sneakerhead), and describing himself as a "trap music apologist." He proudly claims the title of "Uncle of the Year" candidate and maintains deep connections to his HBCU roots and the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood where he works. His self-description as someone who "gets paid to be nosey" perfectly encapsulates his approach: genuine curiosity about people's stories, combined with the organizational skills to turn those stories into movements that create real economic and cultural impact.

Vision Forward

KJ Kearney's career is a powerful demonstration of how community organizing and digital media can be harnessed to achieve tangible economic and cultural change. His trajectory suggests he's building toward something larger than any single platform or initiative. With national media appearances, brand partnerships, a growing tour business, newsletter, and potential television properties in development, he's positioning himself as a comprehensive media entrepreneur while remaining deeply rooted in community organizing work.

His goal is not just to support Black food businesses today, but to ensure that Black food stories are properly elevated and permanently ingrained in the global culinary narrative—told by Black voices, on Black terms, with the economic empowerment and cultural recognition those stories deserve. Through Black Food Fridays, "Bite the Power," his work with Charleston Promise Neighborhood, and his expanding media presence, Kearney is demonstrating that food is not just sustenance or entertainment—it is a powerful tool for economic justice, cultural preservation, and community building. As a voice for the Gullah-Geechee heritage and a champion for Black culinary excellence across the diaspora, KJ Kearney is ensuring that these stories will be heard, celebrated, and economically supported for generations to come.