Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice

An in-depth look at Black food and the challenges it faces today

For Black Americans, the food system is broken. When it comes to nutrition, Black consumers experience an unjust and inequitable distribution of resources. Black Food Matters examines these issues through in-depth essays that analyze how Blackness is contested through food, differing ideas of what makes sustenance “healthy,” and Black individuals’ own beliefs about what their cuisine should be.

Primarily written by nonwhite scholars and framed through a focus on Black agency rather than deprivation, the essays in this collection highlight Black communities fighting for the survival of their food culture. The book takes readers into the lived world of Black sustenance, examining animal husbandry practices in South Carolina, the work of the Black Panther Party to advance food equality, and the efforts of Black women pioneering urban agriculture.

These essays also explore individual and community values, the influence of history, and the ongoing struggle to meet basic needs while affirming Black life.

Offering a comprehensive look at Black food culture and the structural forces that threaten its future, Black Food Matters centers Black perspectives in a field often shaped by white-centric frameworks, offering new ways to think about access, privilege, equity, and justice.

Contributors: Adam Bledsoe, Billy Hall, Analena Hope Hassberg, Yuson Jung, Kimberly Kasper, Tyler McCreary, Andrew Newman, Gillian Richards-Greaves, Monica M. White, Brian Williams, Judith Williams, Psyche Williams-Forson, Willie J. Wright, and others.