Come to the Table aims to bridge Marin's racial divide over dinner

From left, Gerri Miller of Belvedere catches up with Gayle Donsky of Mill Valley and Royce McLemore of Marin City before a Come to the Table forum at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. (Suzan Berns)

When you show up to a Come to the Table event in Marin City, organizers direct you to a table with new faces. Guests include 25 Marin City residents and 25 people from the rest of the county. The dinner is free. The goal is simple: Get to know your Marin City neighbors.

For Belvedere resident Gerri Miller, a longtime committee member of the organization based at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, the dinner series held there is a quiet experiment in bridging one of Marin County’s most persistent divides — one separating Marin City, a historically Black, working-class community, from the largely affluent, mostly white rest of the county.

This month’s forum, “Food as Medicine,” will spotlight the connection between food and health, featuring a panel discussion exploring how food can heal, energize and transform lives. Speakers at the April 18 event include Cindy Howell, a plant-based chef and food educator who works with underserved communities; Mina Wilson, executive director of Healthy Black Families; and Mark Squire, co-owner of Good Earth Natural Foods.

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