Historic West Woodlawn
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Place of Pioneers
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A Wonderful Walkable Village
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Historic West Woodlawn ~ Place of Pioneers ~ A Wonderful Walkable Village ~
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, for Annie Allen,[1] making her the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize.[2][3]
Throughout her prolific writing career, Brooks received many more honors. A lifelong resident of Chicago, she was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, a position she held until her death 32 years later.[4] She was also named the U.S. Poet Laureate for the 1985–86 term.[5] In 1976, she became the first African-American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[6] Read More
Carmella Muhammad owns Eat to Live, which opened September 3, 2022; she has seven years in the restaurant business and another location at 73rd and Stony. She retired from a civil engineering career in construction to pursue her passion for cooking, having cooked for Minister Farrakhan for about 20 years.
Her Haitian heritage and early kitchen experience, combined with Nation of Islam teachings from “How to Eat to Live,” shaped her focus on healthy, clean eating.
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COVID-19 reinforced her commitment to serving nutritious, farm-to-table food, especially for a community disproportionately affected by the pandemic. She developed a farm to supply the restaurant and Salaam Wellness Center, inspired by an Instagram build; secured a $35,000 Aetna-related grant to construct it.
The farm project gained media attention and enables a direct farm-to-table pipeline for the business. She connected with Naomi through a patron named Gwen; later catered a three-day UIC event for Naomi in 2024. She strongly supports Blacks in Green’s efforts to convert vacant lots into gardens and community spaces and wants to actively assist. To encourage healthy habits, she hosts a free Monday class (on her closed day) teaching the benefits of vegetables and herbs and advocating reduced reliance on pharmaceuticals.
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