Urban agriculture and food security are only a part of the green revolution aimed at building an economy strong enough to lift communities and people out of poverty and into sustainable living, but terms and ideals such as these are mostly regulated to the dialogue of professional “enviro” workers whereas everyday folks just know that food has to be near-center of the movement because even activists who work and struggle for class, race, and gender equity, have to eat!
While “food security” is connected to having access to culturally appropriate foods that can be prepared to make a nourishing meal, “food justice” looks at the interconnections of societal trends, economics, racism, and other factors that determine whether or not to put a grocery store in a particular neighborhood. The reality shows that if your community is populated with lower-income families, you don’t get access to healthy food (also called redlining). This creates a “food dessert” in which corner store shopping and fast-food meals are the norm; health disparities such as diabetes, asthma and obesity abound; poor healthcare and medical bills plague the economic viability of the family; and the ability to maintain a job is compromised because of individual poor health. In Denver’s Northeast Park Hill neighborhood alone, there are 700 city blocks between the closest full-service market and center of the community.
The Eastside Growers Collective, the GrowLocal Colorado Campaign at Transition Denver, the Woodbine Ecological Center, and The Urban Farm at Stapleton are all examples of the diversity in focus, education, and outreach within the local food justice and food security movement. Initiatives such as these help to make our communities “green” and wealthy by training and inspiring people to advocate for their own health and by providing opportunities to help create pathways out of poverty by encouraging community gardens, supporting local farmers’ markets, and by providing youth mentorship and employment.
I gathered four local social justice activists-gardeners to listen to their thoughts on the growing oasis in the city powered by their energy toward fighting for economic sustainability and access to healthy food.
Kenzie Davison, Master Gardener & Instructor at GrowLocal Campaign
“We all eat, and we all sleep, and this binding thread runs through all of us in spite of the politics. Furthermore, we share our uniqueness and appreciate what’s going on with each of us through food and food culture. It’s what diversity smells like.”
Jordan T. Garcia, Organizing Director at Colorado for Immigrant Rights
“In folks of color communities, we know that food is key to feeding our very souls and is connected to our history and our family. Sometimes we forget about one other piece, the fact that food is connected to our bodies, and doesn't just fill us up, it fuels us as well. Some of the food I learned to cook from my Mexican Mom keeps me going while it reminds me about strawberries picked by migrant farm-workers, about dangerous meat packing plants, and about our struggles for justice and liberation. Every piece of food that I put in my mouth came from somewhere - and as I've started out on this food justice journey, I now want to know the story of how my food got on my plate just as much as I want to know how good it is for me. The stories of the men and women at my table are colorful and I want the food I share with them to be equally as vibrant.”
Neambe Leadon, Eastside Growers Collective & Eco-Cultivator at Blue and Yellow Logic
“Being a new member of this movement I am both motivated and discouraged each day concerning the consumer driven cycle where the value of money outweighs human life and community health, and how that idea has contaminated every part of our existence. I feel a duty to nurture the Earth and spread awareness in communities of color because we have the fundamental right to real, healthy, natural food, and to information on how to access it, and the recovery funds available for this “green” environmental movement. It is time that we realize our power to activate our consumer rights to make changes to reach true liberation.”
Shannon Francis, Indigenous Permaculture Coordinator at Woodbine Ecological Center
“Walk softly on Mother Earth 1st with mutual respect for ourselves, each other, and for all living things - this is the wisdom of our Ancestors and the information we must remember.”
As we continue to cultivate “urban going green,” the movement must capitalize on our renewed interest in growing food, to growing a philosophy through actions which provide platforms for people to share knowledge and form relationships in order to develop alternatives to the existing industrial food system. I believe the goal of the food justice revolution is to make it about something that is good for everyone involved utilizing this accessible tool in order to grow our respective and collective communities. I also believe that the lessons and traditions from our elders combined with the new-school experiments of our youth is the key to our success.
Learn more about local food justice projects go to www.growlocalcolorado.org and the national green economy movement at www.greenforall.org.
Editor’s note: Ashara Ekundayo is a cultural worker, media activist, community gardener, and Green For All Academy Fellow interested in catalyzing social change through
