Free screening of 'Soul Food Junkies' is Feb. 17

Filmmaker Byron Hurt with his mother, Frances Hurt, and sister, Taundra Hurt
Filmmaker Byron Hurt with his mother, Frances Hurt, and sister, Taundra Hurt

NET's "Coffee and Conversation" series continues with a showing of "Soul Food Junkies" at 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.

Films in the series are free and open to the public. Refreshments and a panel discussion led by local experts follow each film. For more information on the series, go to http://go.unl.edu/xg5.

Soul food is a quintessential American cuisine, with a rich history and an abiding significance to black cultural identity. But with its core celebration of all things fried and smothered, it has also had lasting effects on African Americans’ health, both for better and for worse. "Soul Food Junkies" looks at the past and future of soul food, from roots in Western Africa to its incarnation in the American South and contribution to modern health crises in communities of color.

Additional information is available at http://www.theross.org.