Whiteness and Famers

            The main thing that I took from this is the danger of being in an echo chamber. An echo chamber is an environment that only reinforces a belief. In these farmer's markets, people interact with only those that attend, and create a community around it. This is all right at first, but quickly their perspectives become skewed of the reality of the world around them. I was shocked at people's surprise to the population of African Americans in Davis. These people only interact with those who can afford and have the time to attend farmer's markets, so they come to believe that their life is the rule and not the exception. This mindset impacts the ability for the alternative food movement to focus on racial justice, inequities, etc... 

            I found it interesting how POC are slowly moving into these majority white spaces (the Hmong woman getting certain products from a provider) and also how there has to be this conscious effort to even bring awareness of issues still existing in the food system. Food markets in Davis were beginning to try to bring college students into the farmer's markets (usually minorities who were not as wealthy as most of the normal customers), and the Farm Fresh Choice program. These programs are a great way for farmer's markets to branch out from their usual base and pull more people into the movement; however, the real change must be made with the "affluent, white clientele." In the neoliberal work-frame these people have more purchasing power, and thus can make more of an impact if they were educated more. Also, the general power that fortunate white people have socially and politically is important to elevate marginalized voices. The conversations need to shift in farmer's markets, and this kind of consumer needs to be reminded that there is still more to be done.