In this time of racial reckoning, the likes of which our nation has not seen since the 1960s, one reconciliatory step is often overlooked: increasing the ability of people of color to obtain healthy food.
The novel coronavirus does not discriminate, but it sadly reflects and exacerbates centuries of systemic racism that created racial health disparities in our country. According to a recent study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, Black and Latinx people are twice as likely to contract the virus as their white counterparts. Part of the reason for this is a lack of access to nutritious food.
Of course, Black and Latinx people are not the only Americans affected, but they experience hunger and food insecurity at twice the rate as white folks — remarkably mirroring the disproportionate rate at which communities of color are affected by COVID-19.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that across the country, more than 20 million people live in low-income areas that are “food deserts,” defined in this study as living more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store. In these areas, corner stores and fast food outlets are plentiful, leading residents to rely on foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar.
Unhealthy diets have major consequences: significantly increased rates of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity — all comorbidities associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
We believe that food is medicine. In many communities across the nation, access to healthy food can depend largely on one’s race and socioeconomic status. According to the National Academies of Sciences, African Americans have half the access to chain supermarkets as their white counterparts; Hispanics have one-third. This, and other factors, The Atlantic reported in 2018, contribute to a life expectancy that is 20 years lower in largely Black, poor neighborhoods than that in white, wealthier areas.
We can serve people better — especially our communities of color — we have the power to improve health outcomes by addressing a root cause of racial health disparities. And as we work to dismantle inequitable systems, we can recognize that the nutritional value matters in the food we give. Let’s offer healthy options when we donate to food drives.
Molly Cottrill is the executive director of Heaven on Earth NOW, Inc. (www.heavenonearthnow.net). Charles McGee, ret. command sergeant major, U.S. Army, serves on the group’s board of directors. This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is run by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.
