Racial segregation and oppression in our food systems continues: Can you see them?
As a recent Eater article states – “U.S. agriculture today appears to be just as segregated as it was a century ago, with farmers of color at a significant disadvantage.”
This should not be a surprise, given the legacy and continued existence of systemic and institutional inequities (see for example, this short video giving a localized example of what has happened in Detroit as presented by Malik Yakini).
What is true on land is also true on the waters. Our Challenge Discussion Guide highlights, for example, an account of the gradual dispossession of access to coastal fisheries [long form article] in Georgia for African American fishermen. While there are many efforts working to prioritize inclusion, equity and food sovereignty, there is still clearly much to be done. We cannot underestimate the importance of understanding and learning from the past so that we do not perpetuate and repeat it.
As you reflect on the Eater article above, and on the two articles from the pre-work before the Challenge started (“Backgrounder: Dismantling Racism in the Food System” and “Why We Can’t Separate Justice and Sustainability in the Food System”) what strikes or surprises you the most? What feelings or sensations does this provoke? Please feel free to respond in text, in image, in movement (feel free to use #FSNEEquityChallenge on social media).
What did you learn from reading these articles? What would you like to share with others? What other racialized aspects of food system history would you lift up that are not addressed in these readings?
What reactions do you get if/when you talk to other people in your life about these topics? How did you respond to those reactions?
Thought provoking material. This is an issue I know very little about beyond my limited understanding of food access inequities. One thought I had was about innovations in food production and efforts to ensure inclusion.
Quote from article: “Agricultural institutions, including land grant universities, can confront their racist legacies and build thoughtful and long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with diverse community partners.”
I could be wrong but I’m guessing there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the college majors that are thinking about innovative food production. What about in community college settings? As a faculty member in a land grant institution the quote above made me curious to know more about initiatives to address this aim.
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Thank you Erin for sharing your critical input. You’re right! We have opportunities and obligations to interact with various institutions, especially our community college system. As a former community college professor, I experienced how our community colleges provide accessible and affordable higher education. There are innovative community college programs within agriculture and food systems. You may want to check out the urban AG program at Mesa Community College (https://www.mesacc.edu/programs/sustainable-agriculture) or Holyoke Community College (http://catalog.hcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=6&poid=680&returnto=211) .
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“Furthermore, only such broad and deep coalition will give us the insight and depth of perspective we need to create truly workable solutions. When people are left out of shaping the solutions to the problems they face, the solutions fail. To make a new food system we need everyone at the table”
I agree that this is precisely the issue that must be solved in order to move America (and all industrially farmed countries) forward towards a sustainable future. My question is, who is responsible for organizing a coalition like this (mentioned in Why We Can’t Separate Justice and Sustainability in the Food System)? How can we as individuals support this movement if we don’t have monetary resources to invest?
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Thank you Ely for your important question. If you are in the New England area, please join the conversation with Food Solutions New England (org). If not, have you looked to your state’s land grant institution within their outreach programming, such as Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems (https://www.canr.msu.edu/foodsystems/) or Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable AG (https://www.leopold.iastate.edu/leopold-center-sustainable-agriculture). There are numerous non-profit organizations that work toward food, ecological and labor justice (https://foodtank.com/news/2019/01/119-organizations-to-watch-in-2019/). Hope these ideas are useful to you.
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The article titled “Why we can’t separate Justice and Sustainability in the food system” brought out many feelings. The affirmation of my own belief that if it aims to be sustainable it has to be just, was brought back into my mind while reading this article. Even relationships that are not just can not be sustained. This helped build a base, that allowed other key points to stand out. The systemic racism surrounding the food system has led to the marginalization of all people of color including natives to this land. When the relationship to the land became severed, laws were implemented to bring in new workers from other countries for the purpose of prolonging the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few but to prolong the marginalization of people of color. Of course this is unjust and therefore unsustainable which creates the instability and inequity of the food system we have in current day which empowers corporations like Monsanto, McDonalds, and Walmart to take over farmlands. This further marginalizes the already disenfranchised from the work or awareness of food sovereignty, and at the same time keeps “good foods” away from most living in poverty and many people of color. The short video from Malik Yakini explained how affordable food for many Detroit workers is coming from gas stations and corner stores which often comes in packaging. This packaging will become trash and due to the lack of options and affordability of gas stations and corner stores our environment continues to suffer and we the people suffer from eating a large amount of highly processed foods.
My favorite word from the article I mentioned at the beginning is “options”. It was mentioned a few times and each time represented a different level or layer of options that need to be created in the food system. On a legislative level, on an individual consumer level and the levels in between the two. Options are what will create the justice in the food system to move towards sustainability. The link between justice and sustainability can not be broken specifically in the food system. If we want a sustainable food system that system must also be just.
I want to thank all the people who are on the ground working on food sovereignty and a special thanks to the people of color who are leading the way. With all of the negativity in this world that surrounds me, any article, video, or story keeps my inspired and motivated to keep going. Keep up the great work!
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Thank you Angel for sharing this terrific input! May there be more and more “options” that align with social, cultural, economic and ecological goals!
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It was both hard to read ( feelings of frustration that this not only happened, but is STILL happening) as well as good to see in print, that these discriminatory practices folks of Color are dealing with on a daily basis. The video stressed what has long been a complaint- the lack of grocery stores in Communities Of Color while there an OVER abundance of liquor stores litter our communities. “Asking” those who’ve gained power and access by intentionally preventing and excluding others to “share” the wealth, is in my opinion, part of the problem. If I ask, you can deny me. If you make it an option, I can select not to comply. For many non People Of Color to get frustrated and say about slavery or discrimination “that was in the past”, and not see how it’s STILL negatively impacting People Of Color while benefiting whites is mind boggling. Laws were put into place to discriminate against people, to prevent access and equity; laws need to be put into place to do the reverse. How will we encourage youth to get into farming, when they see the struggles and obstacles intentionally placed there to make them fail? I’m hopeful, because feeding the negative is not an option.
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Thank you very much LeNay for sharing. With regard to your ? on youth involvement in farming, you’re right –> we are in great need to mentor our next generation of farmers and fisherman.! While there is probably no perfect program, we are seeing success with school gardening and school cooking with students and embedding these lessons into the curriculum (encouraged at the district and state levels).
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I so appreciate this question: How will we encourage youth to get into farming, when they see the struggles and obstacles intentionally placed there to make them fail?
In my experience as a white farmer, it took a long time for me to see, understand and acknowledge that obstacles existed for farmers of color (such as great difficulty accessing loans, land, farmer training). Because I did not experience these obstacles, I was blind to them. In the process of awakening to these inequities in the system, I am more able to connect with the past, and the history that built in such obstacles that are maintained today. In doing this work am better able to engage with the system now and work toward disrupting these patterns where I can.
All of this is to say that for me, seeing the struggles and obstacles became a tool for me to work harder to change the system, and inspired me to dive more deeply into the system. Yes, this comes from a place of privilege because these struggles and obstacles for farmers of color do not have the same impact on me, AND, I am hopefully able to use this privilege toward removing or disrupting the obstacles now that I can see them. For me, one of the questions I am now asking is: How can I help other white farmers to see and understand the obstacles that exist for farmers of color, and understand their place as white farmers in the system that is rooted in racism, so that we may all work together to make it better for all of us?
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While this article provided me with a vast amount of information and statistics I was previously unaware of, I did not find many of them surprising. I read the linked article “A Reparations Map for Famers of Color May Help Right Historical Wrongs” by Andrea King Collier and clicked to see and read about some of these initiatives. It was both disappointing and empowering to see how many were so close to me. While reading about these initiatives and their hopeful commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability, I couldn’t help but think how different the nature of agriculture could be if it were more integrated. Would we still rely on pesticides and fertilizers to increase crop yield? Would agribusinesses have ever developed if we had more equal opportunity in our agricultural system?
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Thank you Elana for your critical input. It’s very exciting to see alternative systems of integrated food production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste recycling!
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As a biologist I feel strongly that sometimes being a “species-ist” is akin to being a racist.
I have students from China who believe that Asian carp are a delicious delicacy, they are excited to go fishing and catch their dinner. In comparison, my white students from Illinois see this invasive species as a “trash fish” and anyone who wants to consume them must be desperate or just plain gross. I had not realized that we “rate” people based on their food choices – completely negating/ignoring their understanding of what for them is a native fish.
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Thank you Liz for this helpful analogy!
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I was aware that fisheries are on the brink of collapse and that extensive ecological damage is happening because of it. I was not aware that it was closely tied to racism and inequality in our country. Both need to be addressed if we are to build a more sustainable future.
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Did anyone hear the piece on NPR this morning, “For a healthier planet, Eat these 50 Foods”? (https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/03/24/706004242/for-a-healthier-planet-eat-these-50-foods-campaign-urges)
They acknowledged that many of these foods are grown in Africa, but imagine if this reporting also acknowledged the cultures and peoples who sustained these diverse crops over time (while the white-dominated agricultural system narrowed our crop diversity in the name of efficiency and profit).
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Wow and wow! Thank you, Vanessa. That’s deep.
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Thanks for sharing this article and your thoughts, Vanessa. your comment about a white-dominated ag system narrowing crop diversity a great example of the ways that our capitalist system in the U.S. has crafted and sustained a food system that is based on extraction – all about efficiency and profit. What would it look like to transform our food system to be more reciprocal and centered on care, daily practicing give and take? This would include lifting up peoples and cultures whose agriculture practices do just this, such as the peoples who you reference in your comment who sustained the diverse crops over time. Thanks for bringing this to light.
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The Eater article was right on. As a white farmers market manager, working with a majority of white farmers & customers, I often hear that the market lacks ethnic diversity. At a recent conference of mostly white attendees, this question, which I have heard at many other meetings & conferences, was posed to the one farmer of color on a panel “how to bring more diverse people to their [markets]?” The onus, instead, is to “figure out how to amplify and act in solidarity with existing efforts.” Thank you for the reminder!
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