Our national annual celebration of Black history began in 1926, and is currently celebrated in the US, Canada, and Germany. It takes place in February to honor the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The event was founded by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
Each year has a theme, and this year’s is Black Health and Wellness. This means honoring not only Black health care professionals, but all aspects of health. From the time of their forced arrival, the Black community faced exclusion from hospitals, medical clinics, and medical schools across the United States. Not only that, there were horrific instances of medical experimentation. This led to African Americans establishing their own health care centers and schools, just as they supported each other with mutual aid agencies and food cooperatives.
From a food perspective, there is much that access to healthy, fresh food can do to improve overall health. We all have the freedom to choose what we want to eat, but when it’s not available to us, what can we do? A study published in the American Journal of Public Health several years ago showed the following:
A pattern of findings demonstrates significantly fewer advertisements for healthier food and beverage products (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and dairy products) in magazines and television shows that target African Americans specifically compared with those that target more general audiences. In addition, a significantly greater number of advertisements for unhealthy products (e.g., sodas, candy, and alcoholic beverages) appear in magazines and television shows that target African Americans. (Pratt CA, Pratt CB. Comparative content analysis of food and nutrition advertisements in Ebony, Essence, and Ladies’ Home Journal. J Nutr Educ. 1995;27:11–17.)
According to the study, not only is healthy food hard to find in food deserts such as ours, communities of color are being specifically targeted with advertisements promoting unhealthy food. It is appalling.
All the more reason to open a community-owned food co-op to serve the residents of Solano County and beyond. CCFC has a vision of fresh, healthy food available to all, a classroom kitchen to teach cooking and nutrition, and engagement with our youth to promote life-long good eating habits. If you’re not already, please consider becoming a Founding Owner today!
Sources:
aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/3/black-history-month-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-celebrated