My fight for food justice is rooted in love for my son.
In 2012, I waspregnantand struggling to juggle two jobs.
I didnt always have enough money to nourish myself and my growing baby.
Lyubov Ivanova / Getty Images
But every month, I somehow made it work.
I was able to feed myself, and by extension my son, healthy, well-rounded meals.
I am proud that I was able to give my son a great nutritional start.
Not everyone has that privilege.
My son was born about a week earlier than I expected.
My heart was so heavy when he was that age.
A year before my son was born, Trayvon Martin was killed.
Being in a gated community didnt protect Trayvon.
Being smart didnt protect Trayvon.
Being a good mother might not be enough to protect my son.
We live in the segregated city of Louisville, Kentucky.
The issue, however, is that we are stuck in afood desert.
Residing in a food desert is a subtle form of racism that permeates every facet of our lives.
Long beforeCOVID-19threatened our safety, living in a food desert threatened our livelihood.
(Seeing armed police officers stationed at the entrance of the store only adds insult to injury.
Once, my son asked me why they needed guns at a grocery store.
It broke my heart.)
#FeedTheWest is a food justice program that is rooted in anti-racism.
#FeedTheWest is adirect responseto our areas food crisis.
This is not just a story about my family.
Its not just a story about how two Black mothers fed 12,000 people in a month with grassroots organizing.
Get the lay of the land around food insecurity in your community.
Every city is different.
Struggles can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and those nuances matter.
If you are interested in fighting for food justice, research is absolutely necessary.
Connect with Black food justice activists around the countryespecially women.
Herrons food justice work is community driven.
We work every day to respond to the gaps, she tells SELF.
The co-op has been leading in that way, but the system is hard to penetrate.
It makes it doubly hard when Black women are the ones leading because we are undermined and undervalued.
Trusting Black women is absolutely imperative for this movement.
Elders program addresses another pervasive issue in food justice: housing insecurity.
Qualifying for EBT or WIC wont do much if you dont have a refrigerator to store your milk.
Elders main point of advice for activists is to plan, collaborate, and act.
Cooperative economics can create new markets when white supremacist institutions reject us, Herron says.
Lack of resources, monopolies, and blocked access to mentors and resources all keep racist corporations in power.
We pool our social capital as a tool of resistance.
Think about both rapid response and long-term accountability.
(The Next Door Marketis another great Black-owned independent grocery store in Louisville.)
Another excellent way to incorporate sustainable action for food justice into your life is to support Black farmers.
Since the 1950s,millions of acres of farmland have been taken from Southern Black farmersby force.
Another example isKentucky Greens Co., which produces seasonal fruits and vegetables people can buy online.
#FeedTheWest and hundreds of other transformative initiatives will continue pushing for change and food justice.
This is simply a starting point.
