This podcast covers important conversations related to supermarket redlining, food apartheids, and food deserts, with a specific focus on the effects of these. We discuss how systematic racism drives disproportionate access to food which can culminate into situations like the death of David McAtee in Louisville last June. We bring in a combination of news sources, interviews, statistics, and scholarly work to effectively communicate the history of these three terms, how we see them today, and how they can negatively impact the health of the environment, public, and community as whole. We segue from discussing just what these terms are, their origins, and their critiques into more of a discussion of McAtee’s death and community. There is also heavy emphasis on the role of race in food injustices and supermarket redlining, by discussing how the predominantly black Louisville is a food apartheid with overall poorer economic and health indicators compared to the predominantly white Jefferson County just twenty minutes away. After establishing this background and analysis, the station will introduce guest speaker Lauren Phillips-Jackson, the Pepper Prize finalist whose research examines Food Access and Activism in Racialized Communities in Chicago. This allowed us to draw comparisons between Louisville and Chicago in efforts to show the scope of the issue. The conversation, from there, transitions into these similarities and the effects of the issue, as well as what Isaiah and Charlotte see as potential solutions to this issue, one of which was bringing in the story of Garden Girls, a restaurant also in Louisville to address the food apartheid and how incentivizing small, community-rooted businesses is potentially an effective option. We discuss these points, among many others, on Eaters with Ethics – tune in now for more.
I like how you incorporated the reactions of many activists to the term “food dessert” vs “food apartheid” such as Ashante Reese to enhance your message about the two. Moreover, I enjoyed the *break* in the podcast where you suggested black food geographies. It was a great way to incorporate content from our class into the podcast! One thing that I learned was that a lot of main chain supermarkets had closed in Boston, I would not have thought that supermarket redlining was prominent in New England as well. Additionally, I had never heard of “food swamps” as another term which described the abundance of fast food areas in areas described as food apartheids.
I really like how in-depth your group went into food apartheids and how it is a much bigger issue in how communities of color are not valued. The health and lifestyle implications food apartheids have are also significant; these fundamental issues have been created by generations of racist practices that have removed food access in these areas. The fact that David McAtee was killed by the police is indicative of how structural systems of racism continue to maneuver; he provided food to so many people, but due to issues like over-policing, he was killed. This shows how food is political; in a negative way, food access has been removed from communities of color in order to dehumanize and hurt their incomes. However, it is promising to hear about how people are taking action within their communities (like David McAtee) and providing different alternatives so people can have more healthy and direct food choices.
I really liked the interview portion as you got someone with expertise and really sold your topic more by talking about her experience and interviews. It was definitely a great idea and I really enjoyed it. I think the longer length also served to tell so many stories and helped inform the listener more about what we learned about this semester when it comes to food apartheids. It’s not an easy task so props to you two; you did a great job and I really enjoyed the podcast!
I really enjoyed this podcast and the way you guys were able to make it a conversation about food apartheid and supermarket redlining. Being able to incorporate different voices on the issue as well as what is happening not just in Louisville but also nationally. By discussing the prevalent issues of systematic racism on top of the role of food in these communities, the listeners are able to consider how everything is interconnected in so many ways. I really liked how you brought in Lauren’s thesis about food apartheid in Chicago– it was fascinating to think about how this issue is very common and how there are many similarities between her work and what you found in Louisville.
I learned a lot from this podcast and was able to really understand that this issue is widespread– making it even more important to combat supermarket redlining and ultimately food apartheid in the future.
I think I had heard of the term food swamp once or twice, but it was really interesting to dive deeper into that term and relate it to redlining, decreased food access, and food insecurity. You all also did an amazing job of really thoroughly explaining terms and processes that contribute to the food apartheid we see today. This was a very detailed account and analysis that did not dance around the issues, but instead blatantly discussed them. I also really loved how you brought Lauren in because it adds an additional level or expertise and another example of a city in America where food apartheid is so prevalent.
I loved it! The podcast deepened my understanding of the terms of food desserts, food apartheid, and supermarket redlining. I was not familiar with David McAtee, so I found it impactful to learn about his story. It emphasized the interconnectedness between food injustice, systemic racism, education, policing, and class. I could hear the excitement in your voices which made it a really enjoyable podcast to listen to! Further, the interview you incorporated with Lauren Phillips-Jackson added a lot of depth, research, and engagement to the podcast. I learned a lot from her thoughts on creating sustainable internal change in communities experiencing food injustices. There was a very clear beginning, middle, and end to the podcast which made it a nice story of what food apartheids are, how they have affected communities, and potential solutions. Nice work!
This was an amazing podcast! I love the conversational tone throughout the podcast without losing how educational it was. This really summed up some of the topics that we learned about in class and I love that you applied these concepts to other regions, showing that they are not isolated or individual scenarios but can pop up anywhere. I also love that you brought in someone who has done research on this very exact thing to provide insight into how research is conducted in communities. She also provided a lot of insight into why the larger issue exists and how it perpetuates itself. I think this is a really important podcast and I think you guys did such a great job!