Education and Food System Change

Whenever I (Steve) got to know people involved in food system change from various cities, I often asked them this question: “Can this food system activity engage young black men in positive activities in your community?” The subtext to the question was that young male African Americans in poor neighborhoods suffer disproportionately high rates of unemployment, incarceration, violence, and, at least from an outside perspective, despair and disconnection. I asked with the hope that efforts to improve food security and food justice could address some of these broader social ills. My question was often met with a sigh and an