Food Desert: The Inner City Black Plague

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by Novella Bean

Can you image living in an urban low socioeconomic community in America where the residents are predominantly African Americans who are dying in record numbers? Perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind as the cause of the spike in those deaths are related to something normally reported in the media. The media often covers stories in black neighborhoods centered on activities such as gangs, gun violence and illegal drugs. Although these factors do contribute to a fraction of the black community’s deaths, they are not the root to the skyrocketing numbers. Hundreds of lives are being crippled by a toxic plague. This Black Plague is none other than an inner city food desert. Not having accessibility to fresh produce is causing a spike in obesity, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, mental disorders, kidney diseases, heart diseases, etc. These are preventative chronic ailments and diseases attacking innocent lives, especially the elderly. The community residents, families and friends are keeping their black dress/suit on the front rack in their closet, in fear of that next call, “another love one just passed away.” Now you are probably wondering where this is occurring. Well these overwhelming deaths are happening near Old Spanish Trail (OST) South Union in a historical neighborhood of one of the largest cities in America, Houston, TX.

Southeast Houston Transformation Alliance (SEHTA) is compromised of retired community leaders who reside in this plagued community of OST South Union located Southeast of Houston (288S/610N). They discovered that increase in deaths and chronic illnesses were stemming from food disparity also known as a “food desert”. The USDA criterion of an urban food desert is a low income minority neighborhood with no or limited access to a grocery store with fresh produce within one mile.

OST Union is a historic neighborhood that was once populated by white Americans with a thriving economy. In the 1950’s, the local community center (Palm Center) located in OST Union was the first shopping mall in Houston. The mall brought growth and wealth in the area. Unfortunately in the 1980’s, OST South Union experienced an economic downfall and as a result several stores in the mall closed that led to “White Flight.” Lower income African Americans were the majority that settled in this neighborhood after the flight. This shift impacted the community tremendously leaving behind vacant homes and businesses. Since the transition, the neighborhood has remained stagnant and the economy has not recovered, thus the demographic almost remains the same.

Decades of residents’ inaccessibility to grocery stores and fresh produce but excessive clusters of fast foods chains have created a huge health problem that has taken innocent lives in this vulnerable community. Recent literature and studies show that minority neighborhoods with a lack of accessibility to fresh produce become a breeding ground for fast food restaurants. Thus, these communities develop high obesity rates that cause a surge in death and chronic illnesses that can no longer be ignored.

SEHTA collaborated with a local nonprofit organization, Neighborhood Recovery Development Corporation (NRCDC) after observing social inequity and numerous deaths and diseases in OST South Union that were not noticeable in other surrounding communities. Their mission was to combat the plague. They were determined to stop their neighborhood’s fear of that next phone call, “another love one has passed away.” They conducted their own community study which was published in “The Greater OST/South Union Strollin’ and Rollin”. Their findings confirmed what they were witnessing and living, the Black Plague. The neighborhood was experiencing multiple unhealthy social determinants that they could not fix alone. Just to identify a few, there were the lack of accessibility to healthy foods, obesity and high poverty rates. People were living in a toxic bubble (urban food desert). This community had intentionally became a target of greed. The area had became saturated by quickie stores and major fast food chains with $1 “food” menu items high in sugar and processed foods developed from slaughtered animals. With the lack of accessibility and fresh vegetable and fruits, the residents’ basic food groups were being purchased and relied upon from commercial gainers. This is pure evidence of premeditated murder. That’s insane! This is a conspiracy  that cannot be justified, by any means!

After feeling like they were helpless and defeated, and their hands tied behind their backs, SEHTA and NRCDC were determined to fight for equity and social justice by advocating for accessibility to grocery stores with fresh produce and an annual community garden. Their persistence paid off. Last year, Pyburns Farm Fresh Food grocery store went in to agreement with the City of Houston to open its doors to combat OST South Union’s food desert, obesity and poverty. In addition, a Good Year Tire vacant lot was transformed into a community garden so that residents have access to fresh produce on a year around basis. OST is not the only community facing this serious and complex problem. There are food desert pockets in Houston and throughout the country. This epidemic called the “Black Plague” is affecting the entire nation’s health and budget. No longer should the government ignore food disparity as a part of our lives and pass it on to the next generation. Citizens must advocate for eliminating food deserts and holding the government accountable for failing to utilize tax payers’ dollars to meet our basic needs to survive. Increased accountability can lead to partnership and incentives programs.

People living in fresh food deprived neighborhoods should be able to reach out to their place of worship to educate them on the importance of food and health, and the dangers of food deserts. First, the federal government should provide incentives to establishments as such, that provide free classes on how to prepare healthy meals and how to grow a home garden. Secondly, it is vital that all food deserts must have a farmer’s market built in the center of the neighborhood. Therefore, all residents will have easy access to fresh produces and the income from the sales can be recycled within the neighborhood. Thirdly, it is imperative that the government pays special attention to social infrastructure, especially during neighborhood transformation. The government must mandate and be held accountable for limiting the number of quickie marts and fast food restaurants targeting vulnerable citizens. This way major grocery store chains would not be in competition with these unhealthy establishments that do not care anything about people’s lives. These grocery chains would have the opportunity to invest in the food deserts without the fear of going out of business. Finally, more funds from Health Food Financing Initiatives need to be utilized in partnership with grocery chains in fresh food deficiency neighborhoods to make healthy foods more accessible and affordable. This is a serious and complex problem that affects all of us in one way or another. We are all connected. What effects one, affects another. The government, communities and stakeholders have to partner to abolish food deserts that are causing record numbers of deaths in this country.

 

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