The Elusive Inclusive: Black Food Geographies and Racialized Food Spaces

Abstract

North American food scholars, activists and policymakers often consider how to make a community food project more inclusive to "vulnerable populations" to increase participation in local food efforts. Drawing from qualitative research conducted with two community food organizations in Seattle, Washington, I argue that inclusive efforts are not addressing the power asymmetries present in organizations and within communities. Engaging with black geographies literature, I reveal how a black food justice organization grapples with violent histories of slavery and dispossession rooted in a black farming imaginary, and works to re-envision this imaginary to one of power and transformation. The spatial imaginaries and spaces of each food organization acknowledge racial histories differentially, informing their activism. Black geographies possess knowledge and spatial politics that can revitalize community food movements, and I consider how white food activists might reframe their work so that their efforts are not fueling the displacement of residents of color.

Does Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…However, we must consider who is able to participate in creating such a space (who has time, energy, ability, agency, desire) (Desire is hindered in some cases by negative racial associations with farm labor held by African-American and Latino communities; as some authors state in summarizing work of black-led food justice organizations: "Clean Greens [in Seattle] also grapples with historical traumas of slavery that hinder the ability of even a black-led food justice organization to engage black residents in farming" [34]. By centering black food geographies, Ramírez argues such historical traumas can be overturned and re-envisioned, reclaiming urban farm spaces as centers of black liberation.…”

“…They question, "who really benefits, and who loses in specific efforts to promote urban farms in the 'sustainable city' landscape?" [24,33,34] and, "how can white food activists reframe their work so as not to fuel displacement of residents of color?" [34].…”

“…[24,33,34] and, "how can white food activists reframe their work so as not to fuel displacement of residents of color?" [34].…”

Community Food Work as Critical Practice: A Faith-Based Perspective through Narratives

“…Community food work is naturally political and even criticizes alternative food movements (e.g., sustainable 1 http://rafiusa.org/cttt/ 2 http://www.emoregon.org/food_farms.php agriculture, local food, animal rights) for their failure to acknowledge institutionalized biases in the food system, especially biases rooted in race, class, and gender politics (Guthman, 2008;Slocum, 2007Slocum, , 2006. In the context of community food work, a recurring trend in U.S. history is the marginalization of minorities, especially people of color, which has resulted in a disproportionate rate of food insecurity now present in households within those communities (Alkon & Agyeman, 2011;Ramírez, 2014). In 2016, homes with a Black head of household had a food insecurity rate of 22.5%, whereas homes with a white head of household had a rate of 9.3% (Coleman-Jensen, Rabbitt, Gregory, & Singh, 2017).…”

Critical Food Systems Education and the Question of Race

“…Part of the problem is that despite the burgeoning critical scholarship on race in the alternative food movement (e.g., Alkon & McCullen 2011;Ramírez, 2015), surprisingly little has focused on education-a strange absence given education's role in maintaining racial and class privilege (Anyon, 1997;Bowles & Gintis, 1976;Lipman, 2011;Willis, 1977). A notable exception is the work of Allen and Guthman (2006), who explore the increasing neoliberalization of farm-to-school programs.…”