Comments jadehoward has made

  • Working together, not "showing the way"

    Again, I am speaking as someone INSIDE the community that you're discussing. I can't address university studies held in other cities, but I can tell you what my low-income neighbors have told me first hand.

    I actually help run my local farmers market, so it has been my job to find out why we don't have more black shoppers. I have met with hundreds of local residents in their homes and in my own, so my assertions are based on that knowledge.

    Working class blacks in my community don't embrace eco-friendly ideals (at least in their food habits) because they are more concerned with simply paying their bills and getting by. They purchase processed foods because they're cheap, and because they don't require a lot of preparation time.....something very valuable to a person working more than one job. None of them have EVER mentioned the issue of spoilage.

    As for my statement about organic bananas and wild salmon, I was not implying that there's a lack of nutritional knowledge in the black community. Certainly not. What I meant was that, for many blacks, the environmental factors surrounding organic and sustainable production are simply not on the radar. Or if they are, they carry much less weight than the simple matter of dollars and cents.

    As for my local farmers market - the top market in the state, by the way - we accept food stamps, run a farmer development program, host regular canning and gardening classes, donate large quantities of food to our local food bank, and go out of our way to celebrate okra, greens, and other foods unfamiliar to most white people.

    On a daily basis, we are walking the walk of "confronting institutionalized racism," not from somewhere far removed, but from within the community, with black folks as our friends, neighbors, teachers, and collaborators.

    That is the real issue.On Where are low-income and minority greens in the media? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 21 Responses

  • The daily reality

    I consider myself a fairly left-leaning person, with concern for the environment being central to many decisions I make in my life. However, I also have a perspective that many of my progressive friends do not share. Although I'm an upper middle class white woman, I happen to live in a mostly black, mostly low-income neighborhood.

    I see so many progressive people wringing their hands about being inclusive when it comes to important social issues, about how we need to reach out and see more minority faces represented. But here's the thing - I do not have the luxury of arms-length pity or guilt. Unlike many progressive whites, who live in cocoon communities far away from the dark corners of society, I am not on the outside looking in. I'm right in the middle of the problem.

    And here's what I see....

    The black community, in general, is a million miles away from "going green." It has nothing to do with the media or whether Oprah or Denzel is photographed next to a hybrid. The fact is, most low-income blacks are still squarely focused on basic survival and simple economics.

    In my suburban town, for example, most black residents choose to shop at a discount grocery store rather than our excellent local farmers market, because they wrongly assume that the market is more expensive. Many of them exist on nothing but cheap, processed foods, usually because they can't afford anything better or they don't have time to make something more wholesome.

    Working class people don't buy organic bananas or fresh wild salmon or small batch cheeses. Most have no idea why they should.

    So then the local grocery store quits stocking products it can't sell. People like me stop shopping there because we can't find the products we want. (Eventually, some will give up and move away.) And what's left is a grimy bargain den that sells nothing but cheap, processed food.  No Vanity Fair here. Just a community on the downslide.

    Meanwhile, progressive whites live far across town, huddled around like-minded neighbors, just down the road from Whole Foods.  And I don't blame them. Why not live in a clean, shiny place that makes it easy to support your values?

    The problem is, you cannot exist solely in one world and expect to influence those who live in another. You can't dictate ways of living and believing, no matter how just, if you have nothing in common with the people on the other end of your message, especially when those people have life challenges that are way more pressing.

    And let's be clear: the black community has MANY challenges. Very few blacks are focused on the environment because many are still trying to solve basic issues like family, crime, jobs, and education. In my neighborhood, 50% of the local elementary school population will come and go before year's end. And let's not forget the national statistic: nearly 70% of African-American babies are born out of wedlock.  

    So what's a concerned, progressive person to do?

    Number one, quit preaching and fussing from afar. If you want blacks to hear your message, then come and hear theirs. Buy a house or start a business in a mixed community like mine, then work on a fundamental level to build trust, make friendships, and slowly educate by example. When you learn what's important to minorities, you'll be better able to frame issues in a way that's meaningful to them.

    Number two, shun the worn-out liberal belief that those who need saving shouldn't be expected to participate in their own salvation. That's baloney, and it does more harm than good.  If we hope to include the working class in this great push toward sustainability and global health, then we should also charge them with some level of personal responsibility. (Something as simple as fees on all plastic grocery bags would be a start.)

    Number three, keep moving forward. Those of us who are informed and who can afford to embrace eco-friendly living should continue as planned, even if one portion of the population isn't yet on board. Gradually, capitalism will catch up, and at some point, wholesome, organic, and sustainable products will become affordable for the masses.

    Until then, it's our job to reach out, to become a friend and neighbor, and to take the time to listen. That, all by itself, will prove far more powerful and lasting than anything the media or any corporate interest can produce. On Where are low-income and minority greens in the media? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 21 Responses