Introduction: Race and the Food System

Link to article: http://www.whyhunger.org/getinfo/showArticle/articleId/928

This article paints an alarming picture about hunger in the United States. It depicts a situation in which a large amount of Americans going hungry are of a colored race. It goes on to ask why this occurs then explains that the reason for this is because of a pattern that started long ago that still repeats itself today. This pattern was seen in the early years of U.S. primarily through slavery and conquest of the nation. Historically, Africans in history were discriminated against and seen as inferior which resulted in their poor treatment. With the expansion of the U.S. to the west many Native American communities were taken advantage of. This tradition of exploitation is still alive today through industrial farming. Industrial farms are looking to conquest the economic frontiers. Similar to how the early settlers of the nation took advantage of the people's lands, industrial farms continue to exploit and take advantage of Americans today, especially those located local to industrial farms. This pattern, I feel, is an important topic to focus on. It is not until we learn to break this pattern that our nation can focus on issues such as hunger that is destined for certain races. With urban agriculture now apart of the food system, it is important that we watch what kind of contribution it makes not only at a local setting but at a national setting as well.

Childhood Hunger: No Kid Hungry

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am big advocate of human rights--specifically women and children's rights. I've volunteered at Lurie's Children's Hospital downtown for almost a year now in two very different departments: school services and the emergency department. I'm an active supporter for three philanthropies: the S. June Smith Center, Girls On The Run, and the Special Olympics. I also sponsor a child in the Philippines through Children's International. I care about kids a lot and I believe that everyone should have some sort of social responsibility to the children in our society.

When I started this IPRO and we were assigned the first required readings, I was very excited because the articles assigned to us talked about the social impact that community gardens/urban agriculture projects can have on a community. Our urban farm should not just be about "Are we able to maintain and grow produce?" or "Are we able to get the UFarm name out there?"; our urban farm's purpose should be "How can our urban farm make a social impact in our society, or even our local community?" Once a purpose is solidified, it's easier for a project to be developed. A purpose, in my opinion, is something that our IPRO lacks; and, that's just my opinion, so don't roll your eyes at me.

Doing a random Google search, I stumbled upon this website: No Kid Hungry (NKH) and started to peruse it's website. My original intention in doing a Google search was to find an article regarding social impact on hunger. I think coming across this website was a better find for me.

The website has a lot of resources for various groups to become involved in ending childhood hunger. Some of these groups include: the press, policy makers, corporations & foundations, educators, parents, and chefs & restaurants. It provides people with educational content on many different aspects on this issue of hunger such as its basic facts to its impact on a child's development. There are various programs for people to become involved as well to help families that face this issue of hunger.

Being the curious person that I am, I entered the zip code "60616" to see if there were anyways someone around the IIT area could become involved. (Disclaimer: I commute from a farther area code and just used 60616 as a reference point). I was honestly surprised that there weren't more opportunities to combat childhood hunger only because the Chicago-land area has quite a few low-income neighborhoods that I could see benefiting from NKH Programs. I did find this one opportunity rather interesting:

I have yet to watch the webinar, only because I am writing this up at work, but I do intend to watch this. It might be interesting because it could provide a way for our IPRO to become involved with the social issues of our community. A good question to ask when deciding to become involved in a social issue is "Is there a need in my community that necessitates me to be involved with this issue?" Most times, I find myself answering this question with an enthusiastic "Of course," because I like to think I can change the world despite only affecting a small portion of the world's population. But the fact of the matter is, even if I can't change the world, my involvement may impact someone else's world and in the end that's all that matters to me.

So, is there a need in my community that necessitates me to be involved with this issue? The answer is yes. Chicago recently decided to close 50 public schools (link) and one of the many consequences of this decision will be the overcrowding of schools where these children have been relocated to; not to mention the economic costs that it will have on families to simply get their children to school. Most of the schools closed were in low income neighborhoods. Ensuring that children have access to food could potentially have a positive impact on a child's performance in school. Especially with the change in schools, Chicago children need every resource possible to be as successful as they can be. Removing hunger from the picture can help children be more focused in school especially in a time such as this one.

This could be a way our IPRO can become more involved with the community at large and have purposeful give-a-ways for the produce we harvest. I will edit this post after I watch the webinar.