The Gospel Bird
Courtesy of Frederick D. Opie
My mother Margaret Opie (1935-2014) had been a tireless activist who used food to feed the movements she supported. She cooked and coordinate the food others would bring to organizing meetings. Fried chicken which she called the “gospel bird” served as her go to dish. Fellow Ossining activist Sundiata Sadiq shared this reflection, Sister Opie…was an organizer supreme when we marched on the day New York state officials violently repressed the Attica inmates uprising over horrible living conditions. Margaret helped organize a rally at Sing Sing Prison. She later brought Shirley Chislom to Ossining to speak at a large rally against police brutality during Shirley's presidential campaign. In those days we met at Cheatham and Smith Oil Company on Hunter Street in Ossining. She fought for a FREE Health Care Clinic in Ossining along with progressive health care professionals Dr Cohen and Dr Bradely Gordon who worked closely with us activist . . . Sister Opie was a special person who would rally us with song and energy to move straight ahead and not look back.
Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Salt, Pepper, flour
Fat or oil
Directions
Cut chicken in serving pieces. Season with salt and pepper and roll in the flour. Heat fat (about 1 ½ inch deep) in heavy frying pan. Put the thickest pieces of chicken in fat first. Do not crowd- leave enough space for the fat to come up around each piece. Cook slowly, turning often. Do not cover pan. The thickest pieces will take from 20-35 minutes to cook. After the pieces have been browned, cooking may be finished in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) if more convenient.
The Baltimore Sun, January 29, 1960
