Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice

by Hanna Garth (Editor), Ashanté M. Reese (Editor)

An in-depth look at Black food and the challenges it faces today

For Black Americans, the food system is broken. When it comes to nutrition, Black consumers experience an unjust and inequitable distribution of resources. Black Food Matters examines these issues through in-depth essays that analyze how Blackness is contested through food, differing ideas of what makes our sustenance “healthy,” and Black individuals’ own beliefs about what their cuisine should be.

Primarily written by nonwhite scholars, and framed through a focus on Black agency instead of deprivation, the essays here showcase Black communities fighting for the survival of their food culture. The book takes readers into the real world of Black sustenance, examining animal husbandry practices in South Carolina, the work done by the Black Panthers to ensure food equality, and Black women who are pioneering urban agriculture. These essays also explore individual and community values, the influence of history, and the ongoing struggle to meet needs and affirm Black life.

A comprehensive look at Black food culture and the various forms of violence that threaten the future of this cuisine, Black Food Matters centers Blackness in a field that has too often framed Black issues through a white-centric lens, offering new ways to think about access, privilege, equity, and justice.

Contributors: Adam Bledsoe, U of Minnesota; Billy Hall; Analena Hope Hassberg, California State Polytechnic U, Pomona; Yuson Jung, Wayne State U; Kimberly Kasper, Rhodes College; Tyler McCreary, Florida State U; Andrew Newman, Wayne State U; Gillian Richards-Greaves, Coastal Carolina U; Monica M. White, U of Wisconsin–Madison; Brian Williams, Mississippi State U; Judith Williams, Florida International U; Psyche Williams-Forson, U of Maryland, College Park; Willie J. Wright, Rutgers U.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Race, Essays, History, Anthropology, Social Justice

308 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2020

Reviews

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Black Food Matters, editors Hanna Garth and Ashanté M Reese bring together a group of ethnographic essays written by a collective of mostly Black authors that tend to focus on the food system in the United States and the ways in which Black people have pursued food sovereignty in a racist dominant culture. This timely book raises up Black voices on food sovereignty when in the larger food justice movement white voices and paradigms are elevated above Black experience and knowledge.
While some of the writing was dense, it was informative, and it was great to read academic writing by Black people about Black people and Black issues. It was additionally inspiring to read writing that focuses primarily on Black agency and innovativeness instead of Black pain and loss, especially when it comes to a topic as important and as contentious as food and food access.
As one of the few Black employees at a food access farm run by a nonprofit organization that primarily serves Black clients (in particular older Black women), this book offers academic sources for much needed discussions around race, gender, the rural/urban divide, and how all of these things impact food access. It also gives insight into the ways that Black people across the nation, especially in other Chocolate Cities, have worked to feed themselves and their communities outside of the highly bureaucratic nonprofit industrial complex that favors white charity instead of Black self-determination. Many of the essays offer alternatives to how the dominate culture defines food access and how Black citizens have continually created communities in which community food security is accomplished outside of white hegemony.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is a collection of articles that examines various topics surround Black food culture, food justice, and food history. I’d highly recommend to anyone interested in food studies or food justice.

[Fred Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of academic essays was interesting but uneven. Some of the essays were so bogged down in academic jargon it was hard to read them. But on the other hand some where very accessible and excellent at at bringing out the key points. Overall the book was good at bringing to light issues like appropriation of black culture around food, food access issues and the historical roots of what might be considered black or soul food. I found the articles about Detroit and restaurant culture to be especially good. Overall thought-provoking and good potential for a single unifying narrative for a nonfiction book.

[Parker Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with a school book group and it was extremely insightful. I’m so glad to have experienced this book accompanied with insightful discussions from my peers. I highly recommend picking this book up if you have any interest in food justice, environmental justice, and/or racial justice.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know much about the food justice movement, but this collection of essays wasn't too advances for me to follow, while still having a lot of depth, so it really hit the mark for a book on a specialized subject that's still accessible to a more general audience who wants to learn about that subject! It's expanded my reading list, too, which is another recommendation. There's a wide range of sociological examinations of Black food culture and its relationship to racist social structures. I appreciated the reframing of discussions, away from talking about "food deserts" in a way that treats neighborhood residents as lacking agency or in need of rescue and education, to addressing real concerns. A few essays deal with food tourism "foodie" culture, and those were particularly interesting to me. There's also interesting material on urban gardens, the Black Panther Party, and inside looks at the food justice movement itself. You can "zoom in" on different aspects of the subject, so to speak. This all ties in really well with "The Black Butterfly" and the subject of racial space. As often with my reviews, this might be of a specialized interest, but it's an approachable way into the different angles on food justice and what that means.

[Wendy Goldberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting book but I read it based off of a list the New York Times published about great books to read and expected personal essays rather than an anthropology text book. The essays were personal but were so filled with quotes and citations that it didn't draw me in or motivate me to read it. My book group read it and between the ten of us each of the essays were read and we had tons to talk about, so I'm glad we read it as a group.

[Terrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Matters.