Los Angeles & Food Justice

Last month I participated in one of the UO Holden Center’s Alternative Break trips to Los Angeles. 

The theme of this trip was food justice!  We spent the week meeting with local organizations who are working to make a better food system in Los Angeles, in particular in the South LA (also known as South Central) area.  Here are some of the groups we met, places we visited, and things we learned about along the way.

Some photo credits to Maggie Abney - thanks for sharing.

LA Green Grounds

LA Green Grounds was our wonderful host for the week.  LA Green Grounds is an entirely volunteer-run organization that works to “change turf into edible gardens in South Los Angeles.”  In particular, LAGG focuses on creating edible landscapes in areas that have limited access to fresh, affordable, and local food (you can see a map of where they have worked here).  They also advocate for policies in South LA that support the health of its people and the environment.

We participated in one of LAGG’s “Dig In” sessions at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, across the street from University of Southern California.  We turned the soil over, added compost and fertilizer, and planted a variety of edible plants.  For many participants on our trip, this was their first time gardening, and they enjoyed learning the basics of gardening.  We also enjoyed meeting and talking with other LAGG volunteers.

Farmers Markets

Farmers markets are one way for customers to purchase farm-direct produce.  However, as I’ve discussed in many posts on this blog, there are many potential barriers to farmers markets.  One large barrier is that farmers market produce often costs substantially more than produce at the grocery store, which is why markets have developed a variety of programs that provide extra funds for individuals and families to buy fruits and vegetables at the market.

One of the markets we visited was the Central Avenue Farmers Market, a market whose customer base is primarily Latina women.  This market is operated by the Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles(SEE-LA), which offers a Market Match program for SNAP and WIC customers.  This was a small but thriving market with consistent customers and good sales for vendors.

Community Gardens

We visited 3 different community gardens on our trip. 

Glazer Community Garden is overseen by Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a nonprofit that works to create parks and gardens in areas that lack access to green space.  We had an interesting conversation about how LANLT prioritizes who gets garden plot access (Neighbors? Those in walking distance? People without home garden space? Low-income?), something that is currently being decided on for this particular garden because it is located in a gentrifying neighborhood.

We also visited Ocean View Community Garden, a 6.5 acre nonprofit garden in West LA (which tends to be the more affluent and predominantly white part of LA).  This garden has a 6 year waiting list – an indication that LA needs a lot more community garden spaces. 

The last community garden we visited was Solano Canyon Community Garden, located on a 5 acre slope of land near the LA Dodgers Stadium.  This garden hopes to be a place for at-risk individuals to learn to grow food. 

School Gardens

We visited gardens at Larchmont Charter Schools and 24^thStreet Elementary School.  Both gardens focus on youth gardening education, cooking, and integrating gardening concepts into core curriculum.  Both of these gardens are managed by nonprofit organizations.  The Edible Schoolyard, known for its original site in Berkeley (co-founded by chef Alice Waters) staffs the garden at Larchmont.  The Garden School Foundationmanages the garden at 24^th Street Elementary School in addition to 5 other gardens at Title I schools in LA.

Health & Wellness

We sat in on two classes taught by Black Women for Wellness, an organization “committed to healing, educating, and supporting Black Women” and that truly fits its name.  We visited a class that focused on healthful food preparation that was part of the Kitchen Divas and National Diabetes Prevention programs.  We also visited an Urban Chefs Academy class at Crenshaw High School.  These classes were a lot of fun.  We got to speak with class participants and share delicious food.  I appreciated how food was looked at holistically and it wasn’t simply being reduced to nutrition.  

Community Organizing

South Los Angeles neighborhoods have historically been communities of color, due to policies and projects of systematic racism (some discussed on our trip were racial covenants, internment, and incarceration).  However, more recently, due in part to the affordability of housing in the area compared to other parts of LA, more white residents are moving in.  Many South LA neighborhoods are organizing to resist gentrification and maintain control over their communities.

One such neighborhood we visited was Leimert Park, a historic black community.  This community was once a thriving black arts district, but due to crack cocaine and the mass incarceration of people of color, a lot of the local arts culture suffered.  We learned about local arts organizations including the Kaos Network and LA Commons and the work of black business and land owners in revitalizing the local arts.  We also learned about plans to install experimental edible garden space in the neighborhood’s People’s Street Plaza.  All of these community organizing tactics are powerful ways to maintain or reclaim a connection to place as well as resist structural racist policies.

Policy

Lastly, changing unjust policies is one important tactic to building food justice.  We visited Community Health Councils, a nonprofit whose mission is “to promote social justice and achieve equity in community and environmental resources to improve the health of underserved populations.”  They work on policy in LA, especially in South LA, that focuses on environmental health, healthcare, and food access.  Some of their achievements include strong regulations on local oil drilling, funds for grocery store development in South LA (which lacks access to full-service grocery stores), and regulations over new fast food restaurants.  Like Black Women for Wellness, I appreciated CHC’s holistic approach to health and its understanding of how structural policies affect individual health.

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This trip only re-affirmed my belief that food justice issues cannot be separated from other social justice issues because of the structural inequalities that are the root causes of them all.  But, this trip also re-affirmed my belief that we all have power in building a more just and sustainable food system for everyone.

A big thanks to Steven Meeks and Florence Nashida of LAGG for organizing the trip and helping us along.  I really valued learning from two people who are leading a multicultural food justice organization in the neighborhoods where they grew up.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.  Keep on growing!