 Louisville’s Food System in Crisis
by Rebecca Hollenbach
The Kroger at 942 S
2nd Street closed its doors at the end of last month. This closure comes on the heels of several other high profile closures
of downtown grocery stores including the First Link in Phoenix Hill, the Pic
Pac in Portland, and the Kroger on Southland Terrace in Shively.
Grocery stores are key anchors in the food ecosystem, which can
include farmers markets, corner stores, convenience stores and even pharmacies.
Full service grocery stores often provide a greater array of choices, including
fresh produce, than these other food providers.
We know that what people choose to eat is often shaped by the
choices that they have available to them. When a local grocery store closes, people’s
choices become more limited. Should they frequent the local corner store which
might have higher amounts of processed foods high in sugar or fat content?
Should they spend extra hours out of their week to take a bus across town once
a week to stock up on fresh produce? We know that these food “choices” then
shape health outcomes such as diabetes, oral health, mental health, and heart health.
Concerned by the possibility of a systematic narrowing of food
choices, the Center for Health Equity conducted a spatial analysis of major
full service grocery stores. This was overlaid with 2011-2015 American
Community Survey data on households without a car. This map demonstrates that
every single census tract where at least 38.5% of households do not have a car
also lacks a full service grocery store within half a mile. Additional analyses
revealed that census tracts without a grocery store within a half mile were
composed of at least 20% persons with a disability, and 40% of persons in
poverty. These households do not have the easy choice of walking to get food,
and now must confront other hurdles such as public transportation schedules and
routes, added transportation fares or complications, and increased travel time all
in order to get groceries.
 Redlining Louisville: Community Dialogue
The Office of Redevelopment Strategies has
launched an interactive story map that illustrates the modern day
consequences of redlining in Louisville. With the launch of this map, a
year-long community conversation will take place to address the issue of
redlining in our community. Redlining, which takes many forms, is most commonly
the practice of denying loans in certain neighborhoods because of race or
socioeconomic characteristics. Read more here.
Please join the Office of Redevelopment Strategies in community dialogue about
"Redlining Louisville: The History of Race, Class and Real Estate,"
on April 26, 2017 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at YouthBuild Louisville (800 S Preston
Street, 40203). Find the event on
Facebook.
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Tracing the Origins: Black History Month 2017
by Aja Barber
In
1837, James McCune Smith traveled to Scotland to obtain his bachelor’s,
master’s and medical degree after being denied university enrollment in the
United States. When he returned to the States, he started a medical practice
and a pharmacy (the first African-American to do so). During his practice, he
became a staunch abolitionist and used his medical expertise to combat
scientific racism, a pro-slavery narrative that included describing enslaved
people who attempted to escape slavery as mentally ill.
Although his impact on medicine and theory span far and wide,
Dr. Smith, along with other medical professionals such as Dr. John Rock, are
credited for developing the foundation of health equity as we know it today. In
doing so, they cited the overwhelming impacts of slavery and racism as health
burdens for African-Americans, a burden that extended far beyond the immediate
consequence of health behaviors (Krieger, 2003).
Although it would be a theory understood by African-American health
professionals, it wouldn’t be until the early 2000s that academics and
practitioners would begin to explore the longstanding relationship between
racism and health outcomes.
Today, the Center for Health Equity – the first of its kind in
the nation - continues the work and advocacy of Dr. James McCune Smith (and
countless others) to examine the ways in which racism, and other forms of
systemic marginalization, impact health in Louisville.
For more information about Dr. Smith, see the write-up from PBS. |
