Impacts of Racism in the Food System

Rates of food insecurity are substantially higher for Black- (22.5%) and Hispanic-headed (18.5%) households than for White-headed households (9.3%) (USDA – ERS, 2017).

Communities of color and low-income families have limited access to affordable healthy food and welcoming shopping spaces due to supermarket “redlining” and “greenlining” (CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, 2018).

Mass incarceration and exploitation of Black Americans in agricultural systems has been well documented into the 1940s, enabled by collusion between law enforcement agencies and farmers (INFAS, “A Deeper Challenge of Change” report, 2018).

African Americans in North Carolina are 1.54 times more likely than white North Carolinians to live within three miles of facilities controlling animal waste. (EarthJustice, 2014).

At the turn of the 20th century, formerly enslaved Black people and their heirs owned 15 million acres of land, primarily in the South, mostly used for farming. Now, Black people are only 1 percent of rural landowners in the U.S., and under 2 percent of farmers (USDA data & Food & Environment Reporting Network).

Pigford v. Glickman, a successful class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), unveiled a historical pattern of racial discrimination in the allocation of farm loans between 1981 and 1996. This is one of many examples of how these historical impacts have benefited some, while preventing access to opportunity for many.

Cases of COVID-19 disproportionately affect the Hispanic population in NC and have a higher incidence in the Black community.

Although many communities suffer from food system disparities, data shows that  Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) suffer disproportionately.

In our work over the past 25 years, we make note of research that indicates:

  • Rates of food insecurity are substantially higher for Black- (22.5%) and Hispanic-headed (18.5%) households than for White-headed households (9.3%) (USDA – ERS, 2017).
  • Communities of color and low-income families have limited access to affordable healthy food and welcoming shopping spaces due to supermarket “redlining” and “greenlining” (CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, 2018).
  • Mass incarceration and exploitation of Black Americans in agricultural systems has been well documented into the 1940s, enabled by collusion between law enforcement agencies and farmers (INFAS, “A Deeper Challenge of Change” report, 2018).
  • African Americans in North Carolina are 1.54 times more likely than white North Carolinians to live within three miles of facilities controlling animal waste (EarthJustice, 2014).
  • At the turn of the 20th century, formerly enslaved Black people and their heirs owned 15 million acres of land, primarily in the South, mostly used for farming. Now, Black people are only 1 percent of rural landowners in the U.S., and under 2 percent of farmers (USDA data & Food & Environment Reporting Network).
  • Pigford v. Glickman, a successful class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), unveiled a historical pattern of racial discrimination in the allocation of farm loans between 1981 and 1996. This is one of many examples of how these historical impacts have benefited some, while preventing access to opportunity for many.
  • Cases of COVID-19 disproportionately affect the Hispanic population in NC and have a higher incidence in the Black community.