Martina Barksdale
Martina Barksdale is a multimedia maven, having worked in acting, modeling and hosting in New York City for seven years. After returning to her hometown of Lexington more than two years ago, she’s kept busy freelance writing, copywriting and doing voiceover spots while working as a Game Day host for the Cincinnati Reds.
She’s also a foodie, saying that while she knows how to cook she prefers letting others do the culinary wizardry for her and would rather scout out the latest local restaurant offerings and try new and exciting dishes, from Southern specialties to global gastronomy.
With these talents and interests, Barksdale had the perfect recipe to create “The Sit-In,” a video series that explores topics including black women in politics and black women in STEM careers, and a companion blog called “The Sit-In & Savor,” which primarily highlights minority-owned restaurants.
Barksdale’s inspiration for the name comes from sit-ins held during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, in which her grandfather and other family members took part. During that time, as a means of peaceful protest, black people gathered to sit at segregated lunch counters and in restaurants that wouldn’t serve them and refused to leave when service was denied. This often resulted in arrest and violence, but eventually led to the end of these discriminatory policies.
“I wanted to move the meter forward and have a platform for marginalized communities, especially black people.” —Martina Barksdale
“I wanted to move the meter forward and have a platform for marginalized communities, especially black people,” Barksdale said. Barksdale promotes her latest installments on Facebook and Instagram, and earlier this year launched her own website, thesitinproductions.com, where she’s continued to update a directory of minority-owned businesses in Lexington compiled by The Lextropolis magazine.
In June she initiated a “19 Days of Black Business Challenge,” leading up to the June 19th Juneteenth observance, encouraging shoppers to frequent these establishments. Barksdale said her goal is to highlight talent in Lexington that may otherwise be overlooked.
Minority business owners — which she said includes women of all ethnic backgrounds — face a unique set of challenges, from systemic racism and a lack of community support to difficulty securing financing.
Even location can create unseen barriers, she said, as a black-owned restaurant located within a busy downtown district may be frequented by people from all races, but those located in predominantly African-American neighborhoods may not be.
Her posts to Sit-In & Savor are witty and fun, with headlines including “Taste So Good Makes You Want to Slap Mama Dee!” for a profile on Mama Dee’s Coney Island restaurant, and “3 Black Queens Conquering Vegan Cuisine,” which highlights Woke Junk Food Vegan, Taco Queen and BakEd.
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Sampling vegan chili made with cornbread and topped with corn chips, guacamole and cheese, from Woke Junk Food Vegan, during a pop-up event held at Mandela Effect.
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Chef Stephen Vaughn, owner of Louisiana Passion, prepares spinach and artichoke dip.
Barksdale said she doesn’t have a system for deciding which restaurants to feature, and lets her cravings lead her to each new dining spot. And she doesn’t let anyone know her plans beforehand, though she does alert restaurant reps at the end of her meal that she took some photos and plans to feature their business on her blog, while also asking a few follow-up questions as needed.
This approach ensures a more authentic experience, she said.
“Unless they reach out (to be featured) I do not tell people that I’m coming. I just show up,” she said. “I feel like I’m on a secret mission sometimes because I want to get the dish as it’s going to be presented.”
The owner/operator of Mama Dee’s Coney Island on East New Circle Road, who said she prefers to go by the name Paige H., said Barksdale really helped promote her business when it was featured in February.
“Her energy is amazing and unmatched,” she said. “Since she posted us on ‘The Sit-In & Savor,’ I’ve had numerous customers come in referring to Martina’s blog. She is truly a pillar of the community.”
Barksdale said the feedback from her blog posts has been “insane” (in a good way) so far, and besides loving the food that she’s been served, she’s also had a lot of fun while giving a much-needed boost to local business owners at a time when many have had to close and reopen with limited seating capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“For the most part it’s been a whirlwind, it’s been a blessing, it’s been blissful and I’m just appreciative of the community’s support, especially the media because representation is so important,” she said.