Recent statistics have revealed that Southern states have some of the highest rates of hypertension, diabetes, and other obesity-related illnesses, and that a disproportionate number of people of color are plagued with these illnesses.

In 2008 and 2009 Bryant will be focusing a great deal of his professional energies on the Southern Organic Kitchen Project. Its mission is to educate primarily African-Americans living in the Southern United States about the connections between diet and health; to empower them to create more awareness about the need to use healthier ingredients and cooking techniques to meet modern day health concerns; to co-create strategies to increase access to local and sustainably-grown foods in their communities; and to organize them to influence local and state food policies.

This project is supported by a 2008-2010 Food and Society Policy Fellowship, a national program of the WK Kellogg Foundation.