Gail Bean has partnered with leading grilling brand, Kingsford, to support the preservation of the Black cookout legacy.

Since 1920, the brand has helped revolutionize the grilling experience, and its latest initiative, Pass the Tongs, is a national partnership with historically Black colleges and universities, with a mission to empower the next generation of barbecue culture.

The Atlanta native and actor recently joined Kingsford during its stop at Morehouse College for Morehouse Hump Wednesday on Aug. 27 for a fireside chat moderated by Isaiah Evans, student and HBCU Buzz 2025 HBCU Host of the Year, for a conversation around persevering the Black cookout experience.

‘The most rewarding part of partnering with Kingford and preserving barbecue culture and the Black culture is being seen,” Bean told Blavity.

“We celebrate and grill and barbecue for any and everything. We don’t need a reason. So being appreciated and being seen and able to shine a light and be here on the Morehouse campus has been a dream come true because it’s my city.”

“I’m sure you’re aware of the 300,000 Black women who are laid off,” she added. “I think at a time like this, I want to shout out Kingsford for working alongside some amazing Black women. They could have given anybody this contract and taken their business anywhere. I really appreciate them for working with Black women and keeping us employed.”

Which of her characters would lead the charge in protecting the culture’s cookout culture?

Bean, known for her roles in shows like P-Valley, Insecure, Harlem, Snowfall, and more, reflects on two of her characters that she believes would be ten toes down about passing the tongs and taking care of the culture and legacy of the cookout.

“It’s a battle between Rasheeda from Insecure because she is unapologetically Black and very educated, a leader, and is not giving up her culture and her Blackness for nobody,” Bean shared. “Then, it’s also Wanda from Snowfall because she’s seen so much. She’s seen the community change. She’s seen the landscape change. She wants to preserve her heritage and culture, whether it’s South Central LA or Ghana, Africa. I think she’s definitely about keeping and preserving the legacy that has been created throughout the Black culture.”

Bean continued, “Because she, again, is shifting from the ’80s to the ’90s, so just being able to see how the detriment of our communities, and how much has been lost, she definitely wants to preserve the celebration and the joy, the cooking out and celebrating, you know, all the things.”

Bean’s recipe for maintaining a positive attitude

Naturally, throwing something on the grill evokes feelings of joy within Black people, whether it’s someone getting a new job, moving, coming home from incarceration, or any other milestone, the collective will find a reason to celebrate.

Bean takes a similar approach to her everyday life, noting that although she is a realist, she still finds reasons to seek joy.

“I’m a realist,” she said. “I tell people all the time, it’s not like I ignore the negative. I’m aware of it; I just don’t see and put energy into it. I acknowledge, and I’m very aware, but I choose to focus and put energy into the positive things. Also, my faith keeps me with a positive attitude, and my friends and my family because it’s not like every day is a good day for me. I’m honest on my socials, so I’ll say, ‘Hey, today wasn’t the best day,’ but then the next day, somebody will say, ‘Oh, I hope your day is better,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s why I love tomorrow. It’s a better day.”

Bean utilizes that positive energy to pour into her nonprofit, Dream Above the Influence, which is dedicated to empowering and mentoring Black youth through resources, opportunities and exposure to various career paths, thereby fostering creative leaders and promoting healing within their communities.

“We are incentivizing effective communication. We are incentivizing reading and encouraging that, you know, I too came from a generation of the Pizza Hut book reading to get a personal pan pizza, so we’re bringing that back,” Bean said. “Also, we’re pushing people to seek continued education because not everybody will be an entrepreneur. Still, even if the entrepreneurship pth is the one you take, I do believe that going to college, even if it’s just one year, is so beneficial and fruitful when it comes to the networks, living and being on your own, meeting so many different people from different walks of life, and introducing yourself to other people’s culture and heritage.”

“That’s how you really make an impact and leave a legacy in various parts of the world,” she continued. “We make sure that we mentor, provide exposure, and provide resources for others to have that opportunity.”

Kingsford’s Pass the Tongs initiative will continue with stops at Taste of Soul Atlanta, where regional barbecue styles will be on full display at the Home Depot Backyard, and Morehouse Homecoming on Oct. 18, where the brand will host an immersive cookout experience for tailgaters that includes hands-on grilling stations, culture trivia and more, including a special appearance by Preserve the Pit alum and grill master Pat Neely.