[2][3] Twitty's great-great-grandfather, Elijah Mitchell, was on a nearby street when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House, ending the American Civil War.

The collection features roughly 30 plants, including the long-handled dipper gourd and the fish pepper, showcasing how instrumental they were to African-American survival and independence.

[13] As part of this project, Twitty recreates the experiences of his enslaved ancestors, picking cotton, chopping wood, working in fields, and cooking in plantation kitchens.

[4] In 2013, Twitty gained greater media attention when he published an open letter to Paula Deen after she was fired from the Food Network.

[16][17] In January 2023 airing of The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, Twitty is interviewed by the creator of the series, Henry Louis Gates.