Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice by Hanna Garth

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

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  Cheyenne

  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

  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.
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  Fred Rose

  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.
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  Parker Taylor

  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.
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  Je.nny

  Read this for a food (in)security class I wound up not being able to take because of Covid. Glad I picked the books up still. This is heavy, academically, but a few of the chapters really stood out re. how we need to change. I hope to read/explore a bit more on the issue in the coming years.
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  Karen Kohoutek

  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.
• 
  Terrence

  It Matters.