Coming to Eugene as a freshman, one of the local “musts” was visiting the Saturday Farmers Market. I heard that many vendors come to sell their crafts, where locals gather to mingle, and where local farmers sell their fresh produce. Walking into the Saturday Market, there was one glaring fact that took me off guard.
It might be a little hard to see, so let me give you another picture:
Although both pictures give a small view of the larger span of the Saturday Market, it is easy to see that most people walking around are white. Looking at these pictures and actually going to the Saturday Market, I was surprised to see very few other races, particularly African Americans. Even though Eugene’s African American population is small, contributing about 1.4% of the general population (United States Census 2010, www.census.gov), this doesn’t necessarily account for the lackluster turn out at the Saturday Market. This reality isn’t just happening in Eugene. In alternative food practices around the United States, middle class, white citizens are reaping the benefits of locally grown organic food. However, many African American families find themselves to be in “food deserts” which, “ describes urban environments where, if any, venues provide an array of healthful fruits, vegetables, meats, and grain products, but instead sell snack foods and highly processed ready-to-eat meals” (Guthman, 432) In this paper, I will be describing how United States history is affecting the ability of African Americans to take advantage of and enjoy alternative food movements.
The Civil War fought from 1861-1865 was between the Confederate South and the Union North in order to abolish slavery that was widespread in the United States, but particularly harsh in the South. African Americans were forced to work under extreme conditions on Southern plantations, while white slave owners stripped them of their humanity. Even though the Civil War is long over and slavery in the United States is gone, these sentiments are still felt by African Americans today. In the paper, “Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food practices” by Julie Guthman, she discusses her student’s experiences with farm to school programs. These programs are meant to teach underprivileged family and children about the importance of gardening. All of her students were excited about starting the program, however, “ all of my students have returned from their field study with some amount of disappointment (Guthman, 440). One student in particular reported that, “… the African American chaperone, as well as the youth, had scowls on their faces as they left for the trip. In talking with the youth later, she learned that they resented the expectations to work not only for free, but for white farmers” (Guthman, 440) . Most African American children who were a part of the farm to school program reported that working at the farms seems like, “donated labor than therapy” (Guthman, 440) . It doesn’t even occur to Julie’s students that African Americans working on a farm voluntarily for a white farm owner could be representing slavery. Guthman describes how many scholars believe that white people don’t see themselves as a racial category (Guthman, 434) . Understandably, this makes it difficult for Caucasians to sympathize with racial history such as slavery. However, for alternative food systems to include Africans Americans, negative history needs to not influence what could be a bright future.
Racism is a large wall that needs to be taken apart for local, organic alternative food systems to work. The joys of fresh fruits and vegetables should not only have to be enjoyed by white, middle classes families, but by everyone. Julie Guthman illustrates several examples that her students experienced on how unwilling African Americans are to volunteer on local farms. Unfortunately, some of the reason stems from American slavery. I believe once these unsettling feelings and heartache can be solved, that everyone will be able to enjoy a, no pun intended, fruitful food system.
Work-Cited
- U.S Census Bureau. Unites States Census 2010: It’s in Our Hands. U.S Census Bureau: October 2013. http://www.census.gov/2010census/
- Guthman, Julie. “Bringing Good Food to Others: Investigating the Subjects of Alternative Food Practice.” Cultural Geographies 15.4 (2008): 431-47. Print.
- Saturday Market, Eugene, Oregon. Personal photograph by author. 2013.