Comments for Brahm’s Blog

Comment on PG’s Farm moves from Sunol to Oakland by admin

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:33:23 +0000

The SF Chronicle picked up on this blog and posted a short article about it:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?&entry_id=54845

Comment on Michelle Obama on health, nutrition & food deserts by ssol4569

ssol4569 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:10:42 +0000

admin says:
June 22, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Yes, it definitely makes sense to upgrade our public education system. We always say at People’s Grocery that food access and education go hand-in-hand.
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If you can’t see that how well people eat surely depends on their education than you are only proposing a patch, not a fix. It’s thinking like yours that is the very reason poverty only gets worse. I also have to laugh at you stating that reforming the education system is one of the Obama’s top issues…The education system is already run by the far left and that is why our children, in the public education system, are often brain dead. Our nations children are becoming Kool-Aid drinkers thanks to many Kool-Aid drinking teachers.

Comment on Michelle Obama on health, nutrition & food deserts by admin

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:52:51 +0000

Yes, it definitely makes sense to upgrade our public education system. We always say at People’s Grocery that food access and education go hand-in-hand. They are two sides of the same coin and you can’t have one without the other. The Obamas seem to understand this as reforming our education system is one of their top issues (along with economic stimulus, healthcare, and energy). Food deserts are a symptom of a larger set of issues such as social inequity, underdevelopment and limited opportunity for advancement. Ultimately, we will not solve the issue of food insecurity in low-income communities and communities of color until these more fundamental issues have been addressed.

Comment on Michelle Obama on health, nutrition & food deserts by ssol4569

ssol4569 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:54:58 +0000

I understand and agree that there are many U.S neighborhoods where grocery stores don’t want to put down stakes. I also agree that we should all work together to make sure one another never goes hungry, that is a Christian staple. However, wouldn’t it also make sense to upgrade our public education to what it used to be. One that empowers people to be all that they can be and not to leave them wondering, “How do I get by in life now that school is over?” They should have learned that long ago. We cannot continue to substandardly educate our children and expect them to have excellent survival skills, especially beyond Big Government. It seems that the other side of the arguement is being thrown away. There are still many of us out here who see through this ploy. That is my opinion.

Comment on Promoting Values or Promoting Choices? by admin

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:31:54 +0000

You are correct that there are studies that have found that there is strong demand for organic food among low-income and people of color eaters. But there are also studies that have made the opposite conclusion, that a specific demand for “organic” as a brand value doesn’t exist among the same population. So clearly there’s isn’t an absolute trend in either regard. What we know from our seven years of on-the-ground experience working in a low-income community of color is that, in an environment where there is no fresh food availability, attaining access to organic foods is not the most immediate need.

This is partly due to a lack of education as many people in the neighborhood don’t even know what organic is or think that it’s somehow bad for you. If you ask them do they want food that is fresh and healthy, that is not sprayed with nasty chemicals and that doesn’t harm workers or the environment, the answer is almost always in the affirmative. But just because you and I may see the terminology of “organic” as encompassing these values and practices doesn’t mean others share that connotation or are seeking the brand of organic.

Typically, the view that organic is an imperative that all people should seek out is asserted by those who have attained a certain level of income and quality of life in which their basic needs are met and they can begin to experiment with more nuanced aspects of consumerism that align with their values. For low-income people who are struggling to make ends meet that level of consumer exploration or values alignment does not address their immediate and often critical situations.

What’s important is that we take a more experienced and objective look at the realities on the ground in such neighborhoods and ask ourselves if organic food is in fact a relevant issue for people who are often marginalized and simply seeking to improve their situation.

Comment on Speaking at Center for Healthy Communities by Topics about Communitys » Archive » Speaking at Center for Healthy Communities « Brahm's Blog

Thu, 07 May 2009 13:19:21 +0000

[...] admin placed an observative post today on Speaking at Center for Healthy Communities Â« Brahm's BlogHere’s a quick excerptSpeaking at Center for Healthy Communities. I’ll be speaking at this event in LA next Tuesday, May 12. It should be a good conversation nwith a number of what they’re calling “community kitchen activits”. It’s also an opporutnity to … [...]

Comment on Promoting Values or Promoting Choices? by Rebecca T. of HonestMeat

Rebecca T. of HonestMeat — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:22:34 +0000

Food justice also needs to take into account the lives of those who work to produce the food. If we provide non-organic, but ‘healthy’ food to people with low-incomes, how does that impact the lives of farmworkers and rural communities that are exposed to pesticides? Does that not just transfer an negative impact onto somebody else? Does the survival of low-income urban people have to rest on the backs of poisoned farmworkers and rural communities?
Also, to say that low-income urban folks don’t find the same relevancy in organic/local/sustainable might be presumptive. A community food assessment done with ethnically diverse mothers, farmworkers, and others in the Salinas Valley showed that they cared more about organic, safe food, and its origins that previously assumed. Other studies have shown that African-Americans and Latinos care more about organic than Euro-Americans.
Accessibility does not have to mean offering false choices, choices that simply externalize the negatives of conventional agriculture onto others.

Comment on The People’s Grocery Company Legacy by Brahm’s Blog » Blog Archive » The importance of food in social struggle

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 01:10:43 +0000

[...] The story of the original People’s Grocery Company in Memphis, TN. [...]

Comment on The People’s Grocery Company Legacy by The importance of food in social struggle « Brahm’s Blog

The importance of food in social struggle « Brahm’s Blog — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 01:02:00 +0000

[...] The story of the original People’s Grocery Company in Memphis, TN. [...]

Comment on USDA Unveils the People’s Garden by Erica

Erica — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:58:32 +0000

Is there a way for you to ask this question directly to the Secretary of Agriculture or better yet the Chief himself?

I’m certainly interested in knowing if there are any plans to address the issue you raise about food insecurities in our country.

Please report back to the rest of us if you find a way to get this matter addressed by Secretary Vilsack or President Obama.

I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.