As 2010 comes to a close, some social justice groups claim forward movement, some claim progress and a few even claim to have won small victories. However, a good portion of our country’s socially conscious folk maintain that this year was one of setbacks and defeats.
A year ago, the unemployment rate was nearly 10 percent, African-American unemployment was 16 percent, and Latinos were unemployed at a rate of 13 percent, with whites having the lowest rate at nearly 9 percent. Young people were unemployed at almost 25%. The current unemployment rate is 9.8 percent. These dismal numbers provided a backdrop for even more economic devastation in the immigrant communities across this country. Retirement has been indefinitely postponed for scores of people, homes continue to be foreclosed on and things are still pretty bleak for your average American - except that corporate profit has grown to a level not seen since 2007.
U.S. born Blacks and Latinos, along with immigrants, continue to experience both unemployment and underemployment in urban communities. In the climate where a myriad of issues and concerns face this country, issues for low-wage workers, low income families, and immigrants must continue to be a priority.
In the midst of this, the growing food justice and food security movements continue to transform the landscape of the U.S. Although these terms are broad and are perceived differently, food issues, including production, safety, sustainable agriculture and consumer education, are advanced by passionate people whose beliefs converge to create practical, often comprehensive solutions for transforming a failed food system.
Food justice efforts address a wide range of food concerns such as the dangers experienced by farm workers, food deserts, the proliferation of both major fast food chains and other greasy-spoon establishments in communities of black, brown and red peoples, the overall lack of healthy food options and the United States’ contribution to a global fat problem.
We must remain diligent in our organizing and advocacy and continue to focus on the plight of farmers, the daily injustices experienced by workers, and ongoing, irreversible land violations. By challenging the profit-hungry and dehumanizing operations of big agri-processing companies that control of our food system, we will continue to expose political alignments and the lack of government accountability for safe food and safe workers.
Alternative food production, pricing structures, nutritional standards, healthy food choices and other options can bring about both healthy communities and create community-based employment in urban settings. Strategies such as these must be supported in order that communities become a part of the solution.
In the coming months, crucial benchmarks will need to be met in a political landscape full of complexities, aggression, disappointment, and even some slight-of-hand tricks. Our call to action is to be ready to name the culprits, give details of the wrongdoings, and fight in the midst of what promises to be some very difficult battles for social justice.