“Man, I’m out here selling bean pies.”
James 40X’s voice crackled through the phone, as if his whole life was on the move. I told him I’d meet him right away, near Supreme Bean Pie’s bakery, at the Nation of Islam’s headquarters in the Mosque Maryam compound.
In the parking lot, 40X cut a dashing figure in a striped olive suit, bow tie, hat and sunglasses. Like the bean pie man of legend, he was classically dapper and charismatic, selling a nutritious dessert as a side to a main course of Black liberation.
Within 10 minutes of handing me pies and papers, he was on the road again. I had what I needed, sure, but I wanted more.
In Black communities around America, the bean pie is a symbol of the varied Muslim communities that emerged from the Nation of Islam’s nearly 100-year history in the United States. For many, the dessert stands for Black pride and healthy eating. Much of its fame comes from charismatic street vendors such as 40X, who spread the teachings of the late Minister Elijah Muhammad on city corners and at markets and fairs; those teachings include that the navy bean is a kind of superfood.