The People’s War Radio Show, Episode #62: Black communities fight food insecurity and food apartheid and build Black Power

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the contradictions of food insecurity in the African Community and other oppressed communities in the United States.

According to the Journal of Nutrition, Food insecurity is understood as “ the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.”

Nearly 40 percent of black children in the United States are food insecure, this is almost twice the rate of white children.

A symptom of the larger colonial oppression of African people in the US, food insecurity has serious political and economic effects on the African community.  

Food justice organizer, Karen Washington, has suggested the use of another term to understand the intentional unevenly structured access to healthy and affordable food that African people in the US endure, “food apartheid”.  

Black, Brown and Indigenous communities are organizing against food insecurity and food apartheid throughout the US by organizing community gardens, farmers markets, urban food cooperatives, and other grassroots solutions to the problems. 

In today’s episode of the People’s War Radio Show, we will hear about a new farmers market created in the African community of North Saint Louis, the One Africa! One Nation! farmers market. Our guests talk about:

• The effects of food apartheid and food insecurity on the black community of North St. Louis and throughout the US.
• Covid-19's impact of food insecurity in the African community.
• The Gary Brooks community garden in North St. Louis
• The One Africa! One Nation! Marketplace in North St. Louis and its grand opening on June 5, 2021
• Farmers markets as a counter to big agribusiness
• How other organizers can do these projects in their communities.

To discuss this with us, we have Ticharwa Masimba and Marisa Martinez - organizers of the One Africa! One Nation! Farmer’s Market.

Ticharwa Masimba is the project director of the One Africa! One Nation! Farmer's Market.  Ticharwa has also worked with the Black Power Blueprint and the African People's Education and Defense Fund to bring economic development and self-determination to the black community of St. Louis.

 

Marisa Martinez is the market manager of the One Africa! One Nation! Farmer's Market and has many years of experience in the food service industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The People's War radio show is produced by WBPU 96.3 FM "Black Power 96" in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is hosted by Dr. Matsemela Odom and Muambi Tangu, bringing an African Internationalist perspective to the important issues of our world.