DigiActive.org

Tactic: Youth fight for food justice online

Photo by Umoja Community Builders

Background: Last month the US Department of Agriculture released a report on food deserts – areas in the United States where communities lack access to supermarkets and other outlets selling foods necessary for a healthy diet. According to the report, 2.3 million Americans live more than a mile from a supermarket and do not have access to a vehicle. The report goes on to say that the “urban core areas with limited food access are characterized by higher levels of racial segregation and greater income inequality.” In short, this problem largely affects low income communities and people of color. In recent years, there have been efforts by food justice activists around the country to bridge the food gap. One group in Chicago is taking back the food system online.

Digital Tools Being Used: Blog, Video, Camera
What Are They Doing: The Umoja Student Development Corporation is a Chicago-based, youth development organization which runs a six-week summer program in partnership with youth media group Free Spirit to film a short documentary about food deserts in the predominately African American community of North Lawndale.

“In my neighborhood, there are no grocery stores,” said Porsha Treadwell, a student intern in Umoja’s community builders program. “It is unfair that my community doesn’t have the same access to healthy foods as other communities. It’s just not right.”

In addition to learning how to grow organic foods in community gardens and polling residents about their food shopping habits, the student interns have also kept a blog for the duration of the program about their own eating habits and the various social and environmental injustices that block access to food equity.

Also on the blog, the youth have created a slide show, displaying photos of themselves learning how to use cameras for their documentary.

What is the Impact: Treadwell said this program has been a rewarding experience. She noted that she has had informative conversations with other residents and student interns about the food problem in the community, and how they now feel empowered to do something about it.

“When a community comes together, we can do powerful things,” she said.

Tactic: Blogger gives Obama food for thought

Description: Since Barack Obama’s ascension to the White House, there has been a spur of interest online to follow the light-hearted sides of his historic presidency, while providing serious commentary on the administration’s policy decisions. Jounrnalist and self-described “ag policy wonkette” Eddie Gehman Kohan founded her popular blog Obama Foodorama to discuss all things related to the president and food, “one bipartisan byte at a time.” In a previous interview, she said she does the blog because “everyone eats,” and “if you can’t find something to personally relate to in the panopoly of continents, races, time zones and family situations that created Barack, there’s always food,” she said. “[Obama's] competing reputations as both a comfort food lover, a junk food addict and a gourmet make him highly accessible no matter what the entry point.”

But don’t expect to just read posts about last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner or what the Obamas eat on their night on the town, Obama Foodorama has become one of the leading blogs on food justice and advocacy.

Digital Tools Being Used: Blog, Twitter

What is She Doing: In addition to blogging about the finer side of dining, Gehman Kohan has also created a following on her blog and her tweets because of her funny yet indepth discussions about the administration’s agriculture policy, food safety and food-related health problems. Some recent posts have been on first lady Michelle Obama’s ground-breaking organic garden, Green jobs advisor Van Jones’ plans for a greenroof garden on top of the White House and the recent protest by African American farmers calling on the president to redress years of racial discrimination. According to Gehman Kohan, Obama has inherited a global food crisis.

More from Gehman Kohan:

“Immediate changes are needed in the way CDC, FDA and USDA work together during disease outbreaks, as well as the need for appointing not so much a food safety “czar” as a food safety “mentor” to coordinate the activities of the three agencies. We’re in the middle of a period of terrible economic downturn, which leads to both hunger issues and grocery bill issues, and we’re trying to figure out a new energy policy, which is directly related to the use of varying kinds of ethanol…which is directly related to food crops.

Also, sadly, the US is the biggest importer of Chinese food products in the world, and the Chinese make the most dangerous food products in the world. The issues on the blog affect everyone whether they’re an official “foodie” or not. Eventually the blog may turn back into what the tagline claims — a daily diary, one byte at a time — a historic, electronic document of Barack and food. Right now, we have all kinds of interviews scheduled with foodie thinkers and food/farm activists, chefs and restaurateurs, as well as guest posts from other bloggers, in addition to the usual fun Chowbama gossip…”