Author Archives: hishmn

Systemic Racism and it’s Lack of Coverage in Early Education Systems

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The United States education system grooms its young students to view racism as a dark part of our country’s past. Through white-washed lessons hardly covering the full scope of slavery

A scene from the film adaptation of Harper Lee’s well known book, “To Kill a Mockingbird”

and assigned readings of glorified tales like To Kill a Mockingbird, our education programs are an insult to our nation’s Black community who continues to face devastating violence and racism. Systemic racism is embedded throughout our society’s systems in healthcare, education, incarceration, and housing. Not until recently, did I discover the various avenues racism pervades throughout the world food system.

This course has responsibly educated its students how the food industry is saturated in racial inequities. Beginning with employment, Raj Patel’s research highlights how the Black community is substantially underrepresented in the food industry’s managerial positions. Many like to believe that the unlawful practice of

Raj Patel’s research presented in “The Color of Food”

employment discrimination would deter this behavior but looking at the unequal wage gap, lack of diversity in hiring, and rare job promotion opportunities reveals the contrary. Systemic racism also infiltrates chocolate, American’s favorite commodity. American mega-chocolate corporations’ successful profits are a result of abusive African child labor practices along the Ivory Coast. This is another area where the U.S. looks hypocritical for championing the values of opportunity and freedom yet doesn’t uphold that for their relationships with nations beyond its borders.

As a Palestinian American, I empathize with the black community and their fight against systemic racism. Like the Black community, Palestinians understand systemic violence under the power of an oppressive government and have shown remarkable solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement overseas. I am proud to be a part of a culture that is intolerant of

Palestinians protesting their support for Black Lives Matter overseas. Image Belongs To: https://www.dw.com/en/fatal-police-shooting-of-autistic-palestinian-sparks-outrage/a-53723002

racism and injustice and represents this through peaceful protest. The demoralizing narratives that plague Palestinians and the Black community serves to saturate false public perceptions of these communities. In order to rectify this, education needs to unlock stories like, Freedom Farmers, which disrupts the harmful narrative that Black farmers have oppressive ties to agriculture due to slavery and contradictorily focuses on how these farmers have powerfully utilized their land for activism, resilience, and survival against white supremacy and economic exploitation. Racism is clearly not a fixture in the past, but remains a problem in our present, and will continue to be a virus infecting our future if we’re not fully educated on how it pervades throughout the systems in our society.

The Slippery Slope of the Sabra Brand

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Zoe’s article, A Culture of Chocolate showcased a thoughtful, personal contemplation of their cultural identity and its relationship to the world food system. Zoe’s expression of guilt from eating a piece of Ghirardelli chocolate resonated with my own culpability in purchasing a highly controversial food product: Sabra hummus. Being Palestinian, I feel a deep responsibility to advocate for Palestinian justice and rights campaigns, yet little did I know that the hummus I ate was financially supporting a Israeli military infantry accountable for the killing of well over 1,000 Palestinians. 

A line of hummus products from the Sabra Brand.         Image belongs to: https://sabra.com/content/new-sabra-logo.html

Not only is the Sabra Hummus company supporting a cruel military brigade, but also half of its company is owned by PepsiCo. Being a global food giant, PepsiCo has garnered plenty of undesired attention for its human rights violations regarding the unemployment of 162 PepsiCo workers in a West Bengal warehouse, attributable to the workers attempting to join a union. With this newfound knowledge relative to the unethical standards the Sabra brand follows, I have become self-critical and a guilty consumer similar to Zoe’s feelings concerning the chocolate she ate. Looking beyond immoral company standards, it’s also crucial to view the already vulnerable position the Middle East finds itself in relation to food production on account of their scarce water supply, limited access to arable land, and fluctuations in international commodity markets as a consequence of their high dependence on imported grains and other food items.

The non-arable farm land covering the majority of the Middle Eastern region.  Image belongs to: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/middle-east-front-lines-climate-change-mena/

In 2016 it was reported that the Sabra brand generated an estimate of $800 million and was projected to become a  one billion dollar brand. This US based company producing a Middle Eastern staple condiment is going to reap the extravagant rewards, meanwhile Middle Easterners continue to live in a society plunging within the depths of food insecurity. As an Arab American, I feel alarmed.

The Blissful Oblivion to the Bitter Journey of Chocolate

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Striking my spoon against the delicate layer, reveals a precious crevice oozing with a rich velvety chocolate sauce. Despite the popular choice of pizza off the Domino’s menu, my item of choice is the chocolate lava cake. Indulging in the decadent, sweet sensations, I have become blissfully oblivious to the bitter journey this chocolate has undergone. 

The children working in the cocao farms along the Ivory Coast

The children working in the cacao farms along the Ivory Coast. Photo belongs to: https://www.raconteur.net/business-innovation/child-labour-cocoa-production

For such a sweet pleasure, chocolate possesses a complex, commodity chain. This journey begins at its oppressive roots within the African cacao farms employment of over 800,000 children along the Ivory Coast. This mass scale child labor workforce has prompted me to question who should be held accountable for this injustice. Is it the chocolate mega corporations who have plenty of resources to rectify the immorality of their success? Or does this responsibility fall onto me and other consumers, contributing consumers that provide dollar incentive to continue the unjust practices of the chocolate industry?  

It would be a lie to say that I will stop eating chocolate now that I know of the inequalities occurring. This new found knowledge has given me the drive to do my own research on ethical chocolate companies that stand against child labor business practices. To combat the guilt I feel, I want to target my consumer dollars on principled businesses. Through these contemplative practices, I have gained insights into my own 

Labels on chocolate bars indicating their ethical company values. Photo belongs to: https://blog.equalexchange.coop/child-labor-in-the-cocoa-industry/

personal autonomy. I have the power to support organizations, movements, and companies that I am morally aligned with. These contemplative practices evoke questions, bring cognizance to disparities present in the food system and how my actions make an impact. I would like to end this post by reiterating a lesson from my favorite childhood movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: don’t let tempting, gluttonous vices cloud your vision of acting virtuously. 

 

The Difficulties of Being a Young Farmer in the New Climate Change Era

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Young and beginning farmers in this day in age are grappling with ways to adapt to climate change under challenging circumstances. Weak finances and lack of governmental support to help them with this new climate change era, young farmers are fighting to survive in the agricultural industry. 

Economically, young farmers are in a sensitive position. Two-thirds of young, beginner farmers were found to have less than $10,000 in revenue and are facing serious financial constraints with paying off their student debt. These financial hardships are no help when these farmers are experiencing rising land prices, and unpredictable climate patterns. 

New patterns in inconstant weather conditions have been at the forefront of many farmer’s worries. In the past year there has been the smallest harvest in decades due to unstable weather conditions including intense storms, irregular rainfall, and frost. The only way to curtail the ever present issue of climate change and it’s devastating effects on farmers is through governmental action. 

Culturally, our society is divided on beliefs on the legitimacy of climate change. The combination of powerful corporations and climate change disbelievers are ceasing any governmental action. The big question is: How can we gain momentum for governmental support? I think we need to demonstrate urgency for political action by contacting our representatives, supporting climate change charities  (Clean Air Task Force or Sandbag are great options), and participating in climate change activist groups. 

What this article fails to realize is that a majority of existing farmers in the US are 57.5 years old (US 2017 Census of Agriculture) and are aging out. It is deeply important to set our young farmers for success so they continue the agricultural industry for future generations. If we continue placing financial and environmental burdens on young farmers the future implications for future food supply will be costly. 

Sources:

(Original Article) Douglas, Leah. “Climate Change Is Making It Harder to Be a Young Farmer.” Grist, Grist, 1 Feb. 2020, https://grist.org/food/climate-change-is-making-it-harder-to-be-a-young-farmer/.

(Image) Parker, Michael, and Holly Rippon-Butler. “U.S. Department of Agriculture.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Land Access Team, National Young Farmers Coalition, 18 Sept. 2019, https://www.farmers.gov/connect/blog/farm-life/finding-farmland-resources-support-land-access.