From Industrial Garden to Food Desert

Reading the history of Oakland really reminded me of how so many communities are still impacted by prejudiced decisions made so long ago. The redlining and “quarantining” as McClintock put it had such an impact on not just the residents, but on many parts of the city. Different groups working in tandem to separate people of color from white people to keep white people “above” everyone else for decades decimated any chances of economic growth from these groups. I was surprised by the levels of displacement and erasure that people in Oakland went through. Thousands of people were displaced, and centers of community were destroyed for things like the BART system. It is no surprise that the food desert exists when people in the city have been economically and socially oppressed for decades. 

The attempts to bring fresh food to Oakland that McClintock talks about are like what we have talked about so far this semester. The programs bring products to the community and teach people ways to grow and cook healthy foods. Like we talked about last week, these programs are a good way to support local communities, but there must be more work done on a larger scale to bring food to these communities and make it more affordable. 

In Oakland, the people living in the food desert have to turn to unhealthier food options because they have no other options. While reading about how far people must go to access better food, I was reminded of a more extreme situation in Mexico. In San Cristobal de las Casas, the people in the town drink Coca Cola more than they do water. This is because Coca Cola plants in the area take most of the water, so it is much harder and more expensive to access water. Not having access to things as basic as food and water severely impacts people both mentally and physically, with diseases like diabetes rising in communities living in these food deserts. 

Here is an article about San Cristobal de las Casas.