Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Killer in the Communities of Color

Today I was with a friend and I could not stop thinking about the role that McDonalds, Burger King and KFC have played in my life. These places have changed the way I look at food. Because we all know that they all offer great cuisines for the pocket. Every time I walk pass one of these chains I think about suffering and oppression.

Many people are probably thinking how could a college student think of suffering and oppression when walking pass all American McDonalds. Think of oppression because in New York for example these fast food chains over take black communities and most community of color with cheap meal deals. It makes me sad that someone would be so oppressive and hateful to make food available to people that is unhealthy and highly processed foods. How is it that we live in a world that values a dollar more than making sure we all have healthy and fresh food to eat in our communities? We rather make the meat and dairy industry richer and not allow people to have access to the real soul food.

McDonald’s has changed the way I look at food because I always thought it was great to sit down and have a chicken nugget meal that to me at the time was tasty and had being eating since I was a child. It was considered to my dad at the time to be a healthy option on the menu. When I got older I just loved to the taste and the cheapness of the food before me.

When I decided to educate myself about food and factory farming I borrowed a book from my friend and co-worker called Fast Food Nation. I could not believe the way that animals were being treated. The thing I called food I could no longer feel comfortable eating animals again. Then I decided after completing the book I would give up land meat and then one day go vegetarian. I made it far and then January 2007 I decided to go vegan and eat a full plant base diet.

People feel that being vegan is the end of the world and that you cannot be healthy and happy. I have to disagree because food will bring us together at some point in our lives. We have to educate people and not allow food to be a privilege and let it be a right for all to have access to.

McDonalds has been killing people of color for so long and it’s not alone in this journey of destruction to the human body. I cannot sit her and support a industry that goes into community of color and put poison before them to eat. McDonalds is not marketing food that is healthy and balanced. They are marketing food that is cheap and at the end of the day comes with a whole host of health problem for the people who consume this products

I’m upset because places like this exist. I don’t feel that my parents did anything wrong by feeding me McDonalds. I’m upset because McDonalds is greedy and targeting the poor and people of color to consume this so called food. I think that people should know that Fast Food is going to be the killer in the black community and it must stop now. We must fight for food equality and start making healthy , organic , local , and fresh food access for all.










2 comments:

vegan hip hop movement said...

feelin' that post! if you could resize your margins somehow though, as the words are cut off along the right-hand side.

Anonymous said...

I love this blog!

Thank you for this post! I live in PG county MD. To get the best organic food options in my county I have to drive 35 minutes to a Wegmans. Otherwise, I have to go to the neighboring county or to the neighboring state to get any organic produce. I don't live in the hood or anything but PG county is one of the most ethnic counties in the country,,,maybe that's why.

It's frustrating to have to drive so far to get actual food. But I have more than enough options for fried chicken and biscuits!