Honey Buns, Smoke and Murky Water in the Hood: On Race, Environmental Racism and Food Aparteid

Racism is a very complicated, painful and intriguing subject. It makes people want to fight, cry, cuss and debate to protect their particular race group, but perhaps the most interesting thing about racism is that it isn’t just relating strictly to people, it manifests in different ways institutionally as well. 

Two of the biggest manifestations of hidden racism are environmental and food insecurity. A lot of folks don’t know how institutions can uphold racism in sneaky ways, and the environment and means of sustenance are the largest necessities that humans are surrounded by and need to live and thrive. But it seems for people of color, those necessities are getting threatened and violated more and more each day, if not eradicated. 

One of the most prominent and ugliest examples of environmental racism is the now 6 year plight of the Flint water crisis. 

On April 24, 2014, the decision to switch the city’s main water source after it was overseen by a state emergency manager, the water source was switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River. The disaster unfortunately started shortly after. 

The residents began to complain about a pungent odor emanating from the water and after effects they experienced from drinking and washing in the water. In August and September, the residents were warned to boil the water because it had high levels of E.coli and and coliform bacteria. In October, General Motors stopped using it because the water was so contaminated that it was eroding the car engines and parts. 

In the months following, it did nothing but get worse. The residents were told that the water contained high levels of chemical byproducts that could poison them and cause liver and other bodily harm. From 2014-2018, there have been deaths, cancer, people still boiling water, folks going blind, etc. Two notable people that assisted the residents of Flint with clean water, media coverage, fundraisers  and resources are Amariyanna "Mari" Copeny aka Little Miss Flint and rapper Jaden Smith. 

The Flint water crisis is a very flagrant form of environmental injustice because Flint is filled mainly with Black folks, most of whom are below or at the poverty income level line. Studies have shown that certain communities (the ones with Black folks/POC)  are unfairly affected and burdened with harmful, dangerous and deadly contamination and health hazards like pollution, lack of healthy food and so on. This also includes the residents not being able to voice their concerns about their health and residency, being treated wrongly and being shown they have little say or influence in the health and vitality of their counties. 

It’s downright embarrassing, disrespectful and asinine that the black residents in Flint still don’t have clean water and they have to deal with the residual effects of having a city government that doesn’t care about their well being but the bottom line only. It raises the always present question of when Black lives and matters concerning them will ever be taken seriously. Other states that have been dealing with forms of environmental injustice are Louisiana with cancer related pollution and California with chlorpyrifos pesticide. 

Another form of environmental racism is food insecurity. The term “food desert” has been thrown around quite frequently, but at the rate cities like Dayton and others are experiencing it, it’s not a stretch to label it a food apartheid-it’s that severe. 

A food desert is when an urban or rural area has little to no access to fresh, affordable and healthy food options. Dayton, OH is one of the best and well known examples of a food insecure area looks like. 

Most of the Black residents in Dayton make a certain amount of money, a lot at or below poverty, some above it significantly and others just barely. On the West side where mainly Black folks are situated, we only have one commercial grocery store (Kroger) within a certain mile radius that people hate shopping at because it has the reputation as the “ghetto Kroger,” despite a revamp, expanded organic aisles and efforts to serve the community and keep up with demand. Most people avoid that Kroger and drive the extra 30-45 minutes to the more affluent Kroger Marketplace stores out in the White communities because they have a wider variety of foods, fresher produce and less Black folks (internal racism but more on that later). It’s even worse 15 minutes away in Trotwood, where there is a Family Dollar in every plaza and convenience stores/ fast food strips that pepper the city. 

It’s no secret that urban cities are ignored by design-it’s rooted in deep, racist systems that were created to keep us oppressed. Black folks are the leading group of people with diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure issues, which makes sense when the government decides you don’t qualify for SNAP food assistance anymore, your nearest grocery store is 30 minutes away and the produce it has is spoiled and bruised.Walk up the street to find a convenience store owned by an Arab family that has nothing but junk food, candy, some produce and WIC items and cigarettes/vapes.  It’s not a far fetched theme to be obese or sick when a salad is $7 and up but you can get a $4 or $5 super size meal from a nearby fast food chain. They wouldn’t dare place this many liquor stores, fast food strips and Family Dollar stores in a more affluent White neighborhood like Centerville or Oakwood because they know that White folks won’t eat it-we’re forced to accept it and think it’s normal to be surrounded by racism in plain sight. It’s not-it’s poison. Even farmers are affected; Black farmers have had to sue because of farm subsidies going to mainly White farmers. 

All of this adds up to institutionalized racism. This is not normal-it’s dangerous, sad and killing us and our communities. Reach one, teach one- find local farmers markets and alternative grocery resources (shout out to the upcoming Gem City Market), start a community garden, start a couponing club and teach people how to shop on a budget and prepare healthy meals in creative ways. We have the tools to dismantle the master’s house- to combat environmental racism, it starts with us. Your silence will not protect you.