“Trying to Eat Healthy in a Food Desert” – Vice News, 2021, 9:00 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDbENx9c3Fg

Here we see the fight for food justice in a neighborhood with one of the highest number of fast-food restaurants in the country (East New York). In addition to food deserts and the idea of food justice, we learn about food apartheid, a concept describing how unhealthy food systems (e.g., fast food) are often purposefully placed in communities of color. Even when controlling for income, these neighborhoods have more unhealthy food options and fewer grocery stores than white neighborhoods. This connects to America’s legacy of segregation as well as the cultural construction of healthy food as white, expensive, and unappealing. There’s also the unfortunate connection between healthy food options and gentrification. Yet here we see how community insiders are working to make healthy foods accessible and appealing.

From the video’s description: We take a look at systemic racism in America's food systems.