This semester I am taking a course called Community-based Journalism. In this class, it is a project to focus on the importance of food justice. Food Justice is used to discover surrounding areas of people and neighborhoods to see how and why they purchase their food. My school has partnered with West Virginia University to partake in this project also.
Students that are enrolled at West Virginia University are taking a similar course. Each week different assignments are given to do research around surrounding areas near our school and then meet once a week using via google hangout to discuss our findings.
On September 22, WVU students visited my college to experience Baltimore. This day different professionals came to visit Morgan State University to define the food justice system based on studies they have discovered.
Carrie Burns, a representative from Center for a Livable Future, located at John Hopkins University Hospital, did a presentation about the food system mapping of Baltimore. Burns covered four different growing stages which were food production, policy, stability and culture importantly.
She then began to speak about how residents purchase their food. When shopping for food, the map describes areas of travel time to supermarkets and areas where people live to show low availability where distance can be an issue. Most residents in those areas will qualify for assistance. A family of four with an income under $30K could qualify for assistance. Within the assistance program, a list of food can be purchased on limited restriction such as milk, fresh produce, cereal and frozen meat, just to name a few. More information about her resources can be found at Maryland Food System Map.
The second speaker of the night was Chef David Thomas, a local Baltimore restaurant owner. Thomas’ focus was on foods grown within a 90-mile radius. He spoke about his previous businesses and how it is better to order from a local farmer, “The product tastes better,” said Thomas. When ordering from farmer’s chemicals are not added. Thomas spoke about the dependency of restaurants needing farmers and how he has a great bond with his.
He stressed to the class to support local farms. To end his speech, he mentioned that he will be opening his third restaurant, naming it “Ida B. Wells”. It will be open in spring 2017, between Holiday and Saratoga Street in Baltimore. The Real News Network is a surrounding location.
On September 24, 2016 my class along with WVU students visited Strength to Love Two Farms (S2L2) where we met Mr. C.W. Harris to give us an overview of the area. Harris has been in business for five years and spoke about how the farm was once rowhomes. Because Baltimore has always been known of lead, when the rowhomes were torn down the soil had lead in it. The soil had to be replaced and grown with new soil and tested before growing food.
To abide by Md. state laws, it is best to make sure the vegetables are clean. At the farm, they grow organic vegetables to supply to the community. Produce is given to local schools, such as Goucher College.
The farm allows recent felons to work there also. It is a transition job for them to possibly land another job in landscaping. For those who volunteer or work for the farm are able to take home whatever they want.
