Brilliant! The Korean American Coalition invites the community to reflect on what has been healed (or not?) since the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings while sharing food, gardening tips and discussion of food security in LA.What a lovely model for how food can be a tool for healing and unity.
The uprisings may have been sparked by the controversial Rodney King decision in 1992, but chronic disinvestment and police abuses had a long, unpleasant history in South LA – giving residents plenty of reason to feel angry. After the riots, city officials met with representatives from the supermarket industry in particular to address a lack of service offerings in South LA, despite the huge population and need for grocery stores (obviously!) The supermarket heads say “Okay, we pledge to make a better effort to site stores in SLA.” Ten years later, researchers at the Center for Food and Justice found that there had been NO net gain of new supermarkets in the area!
There has been slow progress to remedy this issue with the recent opening of a Fresh & Easy in SLA. Full-service grocery stores can offer convenience and affordability in neighborhoods without adequate food options. However, supermarkets are only one piece of a larger food justice agenda. Grocery stores have to provide quality employment as well as fresh, regionally produced, organic and AFFORDABLE food items (and not the left-over crappy produce they ship from Encino. You know they do it!) They should also empower customers to request special foods to meet the need of those struggling with chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease.
Certainly, there is still much to process and heal from since the ’92 uprisings. Thanks for KAC for bringing folks out for a health and community-minded commemoration.
