Yesterday we witnessed yet another confrontation between law enforcement and residents, protestors, and activists in Baltimore. As the people continued to demand justice for Freddie Gray, Whole Foods Harbor East in Baltimore took it upon themselves “to make sandwiches for the men and women keeping Baltimore safe.” But who were those men and women? Were they protestors? No. Were they the high school kids who had just been ambushed by police in riot gear who shut down all means of public transportation that would have allowed them to get home safely from school? No. Or how about the 84 percent of students in the Baltimore City Public School system who are dependent on free or reduced meals who were going to miss their meal due to school closings? Nope. So who exactly were the people receiving free gourmet grass-fed organic turkey and cheese sandwiches? The National Guard.
Supporting structural racism shouldn’t be organic, even if your kale is.
The Whole Foods Harbor East has since deleted their posts on Instagram and Twitter, but thankfully the internet never forgets, and neither will we. Where and what we consume matters. Remember the Black Friday Boycott of 2014? In comparison to 2013, sales had dropped by 11 percent, or roughly $7 billion. Let’s continue to make sure our money goes to our community when it comes to our produce.
Instead, take this time to remember and support your local Black Farmers:
Baltimore
Atlanta
Chicago
- Healthy Food Hub
- Trinity United Church of Christ Farmers Market (Summer)
- Your Bountiful Harvest Family Farm
Cleveland
DMV
Oakland
Detroit
Kentucky
Los Angeles
- The Ron Finley Project
- Sola Food Co-op
- South Central Farmers’ Cooperative
- Community Services Unlimited
Philadelphia
NYC
Phoenix
San Diego
Southeastern US
Virginia
Share this list below and add more! Who are the farmers in your area? Add them to this list of Black Farmers across the country or in the comments section. We’ll update the list and let the people know!
