Brittney Shelby Sessoms

Guide | Advocate | Artisan Maker | Cultural Storyteller

Brittney Shelby Sessoms is a cultural preservationist, southern storyteller, and food sovereignty leader who embodies the spirit of the traditional Black Southern matriarch - so much so that she's affectionately known as "the youngest Big Ma or Madea." As founder of Charlotte & Pickens, she brings a unique blend of old soul wisdom and contemporary vision to her work, addressing modern food justice challenges through the lens of ancestral knowledge.

Shelby Sessoms' work grows from a profound reverence for how Black communities have always sustained themselves. Her research and documentation of family folklore, agricultural heritage, and healing traditions feeds directly into her food justice work. Whether organizing farmers markets, teaching traditional skills, or documenting cultural practices through her lens, her approach honors the ways our people have historically created abundance from scarcity - from farming methods to textile arts, from healing traditions to communal gathering practices.

She has evolved from her early work in food service and farming to creating comprehensive programs that combat food apartheid while artistically documenting and preserving cultural heritage. Her approach combines practical food systems development, connecting Black farmers with their communities, with deeper cultural preservation work that ensures traditional knowledge continues to flow between generations.

With a heart rooted deeply in both tradition and transformation, Sessoms creates spaces where ancestral knowledge flows freely between generations, as traditional skills are preserved and actively practiced. She has primarily worked with urban communities, educational institutions, and grassroots organizations. Her programs at the corner of Charlotte & Pickens, named for the Deep South crossroads of her childhood, demonstrate how cultural preservation can be a powerful tool for addressing modern inequities.

An alumna of Tennessee State University College of Agriculture's West TN New Farmer Academy and 2024 VOQAL Fellow, Sessoms has been featured in The Memphis Voyager, CanvasRebel Magazine, and various local media. Her collaborations with the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, Memphis Urban League Young Professionals, and numerous social institutions showcase her ability to bridge traditional wisdom with contemporary needs.

Through her work at Charlotte & Pickens, Sessoms serves as a living link between past and present, showing how the preservation of cultural traditions can build more resilient, self-determined community futures. Her impact extends beyond mere programming to create spaces where cultural memory becomes a catalyst for community transformation.

To connect or collaborate, please email connect@charlotteandpickens.com.