>> THE WEST SIDE NOW HAS ONE
FEWER GROCERY STORE AFTER ALDI
ABRUPTLY SHUTTER ITS WEST
GARFIELD PARK LOCATION.
RESIDENTS SAY THE CLOSURE
WORSENS THE AREA'S INEQUITABLE
ACCESS TO FOOD.
THIS OFTEN MEANS RESIDENTS
MOSTLY IN BLACK AND BROWN
COMMUNITIES HAVE TO TRAVEL MUCH
FURTHER SOMETIMES LEAVING THEIR
NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET THE FOOD
THEY NEED.
WE SPOKE WITH THERON HAWK A
RESIDENT OF WEST GARFIELD PARK
HE LIVES BEHIND THE FORMER
GROCERY STORE AND HERE IS WHAT
HE SAID.
>> I HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO
HALSTED AND MADISON I'M 3800
WEST AND I THINK THAT IS 800
WEST TO WHOLE FOODS.
WE HAVE A STORE DIRECTLY ACROSS
THE STREET FROM ALDI'S HAD A
SIGN THAT SAYS MADDION
SUPERMARKET BUT THEY ARE NOT A
SUPERMARKET THEY ARE LIKE A
CIGARETTE STORE.
CAN'T BUY A LOAF OF BREAD THERE.
CAN'T BUY A GALLON OF MILK
THERE.
>> AND JOINING US TO DISCUSS HOW
THIS IMPACTS COMMUNITIES AND
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ADDRESS IT
ARE ANGELA ODOMS-YOUNG ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY
IN THE DIVISION OF NUTRITIONAL
SCIENCES AND WORKED AT UIC AND
REMAINS BASED HERE IN CHICAGO.
AND RUBY FERGUSON, FOOD EQUITY
POLICY LEAD FOR THE CITY OF
CHICAGO.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.
ANGELA ODOMS-YOUNG LET'S START
WITH YOU, WHAT WE DESCRIBED AS A
FOOD DESERT THOUGH MANY
ADVOCATES ARE ARGUING IT SHOULD
BE CONSIDERED FOOD APARTHEID
INSTEAD.
>> I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO THINK ABOUT THE SOURCE.
WE KNOW THAT LIMITED FOOD ACCESS
IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IS
REALLY ROOTED IN SOCIAL AND
STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION.
PART OF THIS THINKING THAT IS
JUST NATURALLY OCCURRING IS NOT
THE CASE.
IT REALLY IS SYSTEMIC FACTORS
THAT PLAY A ROLE IN DECIDING
WHERE CERTAIN TYPES OF RESOURCES
ARE LOCATED AND WHERE THEY ARE
NOT LOCATED.
>> COMMUNITIES ON THE SOUTH AND
WEST SIDE MOSTLY BLACK AND BROWN
COMMUNITIES THEY'VE FACED
DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT WE KNOW
THIS.
RUBY FERGUSON, WHAT IMPACT HAS
THIS HAD ON ACCESS TO FOOD FOR
THE PEOPLE IN THOSE
NEIGHBORHOODS?
>> YEAH.
SO WE LOOK AT OUR FOOD SYSTEM AS
A WHOLE AND THINK ABOUT
AFFORDABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND
THE CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF FOOD.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT FOOD, THAT'S
CELEBRATIONS FOR BARBECUES,
THANKSGIVING, BIRTHDAY CAKES.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
ADDITIONAL LAYERS OF MENTAL
STRESS THAT GET PUT ON PUTTING
FOOD ON THE DINNER TABLE, WE'RE
JUST EXACERBATING UNHEALTHY
CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED.
>> WHEN WE SPOKE TO RESIDENT
THERON HAWK HE USES AN ELECTRIC
BIKE TO GET AROUND BUT IT
DOESN'T HAVE A BASKET TO CARRY
GROCERIES HERE IS MORE OF HIM.
>> I HAVE TO UBER DOWN TO THE
STORE.
I HAD TO CHANGE MY WHOLE ROUTINE
WHEN IT COMES TO GROCERIES NOW
YOU KNOW.
I COULD GO TO ALDI'S THREE OR
FOUR TIMES A GET AND GET THE
LITTLE THINGS THAT SUSTAIN ME.
AND NOW THAT'S GONE YOU KNOW.
AND I MISS THEM.
I DO.
>> ANGELA, HOW MUCH OF CHICAGO
FACES FOOD ECOSYSTEMS SIMILAR TO
WHAT THERON HAWK EXPERIENCES
NOW?
>> YOU KNOW UNFORTUNATELY A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT.
I THINK PART OF THE WAY THAT
WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IT EVEN
TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT ONE
ALDI LEFT A COMMUNITY THAT IS
REALLY UPSETTING, LISTENING TO
THE DESCRIPTION FROM THE
RESIDENT COMMUNITY RESIDENT
ABOUT HOW THIS DEPARTURE OF ALDI
IMPACTED HIS SHOPPING PATTERN
AND JUST ADDITIONAL STRESS THAT
HAS BEEN PUT ON HIM BECAUSE OF
THIS ISSUE.
AND THIS IS JUST A VERY COMMON
STORY.
UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT ONLY IN
CHICAGO IT'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WHEN YOU LOOK ATTICLY BLACK
COMMUNITIES --
AT PARTICULARLY BLACK
COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ACCESS TO
FOOD.
PARTLY IF WE TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF
A FOOD ECOSYSTEM NOT JUST A
SUPERMARKET, THEN WE COULD SAY
THAT THE MAJORITY OF COMMUNITIES
ARE IN THIS SITUATION.
BECAUSE THERE IS NO DIVERSITY OF
FOOD RETAIL IN MOST BLACK
COMMUNITIES.
>> AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE FACT
THIS ONE GROCERY STORE LEFT AND
ALDI IS INDICATIVE AND THE
IMPACT IT'S HAVING IS INDICATIVE
OF A PROBLEM THAT ALREADY
EXISTED FOR PEOPLE.
RUBY FERGUSON HOW DOES THIS
IMPACT A COMMUNITY'S HEALTH?
>> YEAH, SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
HEALTH, RIGHT, IT'S AGENCY TO
HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT WHAT YOU
CONSUME DAILY IS ACCESS TO FRESH
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES NOT HAVING
TO MANAGE THINKING ABOUT WHERE
YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR DINNER.
AND SO WHEN ONE GROCERY STORE IS
CAUSING AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO
FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS
TO FRESH AND HEALTHY FOODS IT
MAKES IT VERY CHALLENGING TO
CONSIDER YOUR HEALTH AS A WHOLE.
>> ANGELA HOW CAN THIS BE
ADDRESSED?
IT IS A MATTER OF ADDING MORE
GROCERY STORES?
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
>> NO, I THINK IT IS A MATTER OF
LOOKING AT FOOD AND PLANNING,
LOOKING AT FOOD WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT ECONOMIC INVESTMENTS IN
COMMUNITIES.
IT'S OVERALL COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT.
GROCERY STORES TEND TO BE AN
ANCHOR FOR OTHER TYPES OF RETAIL
DEVELOPMENT AND IT BRINGS JOBS.
IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THERE'S
ABOUT 25 JOBS FOR EVERY 10,000
SQUARE FEET OF STORE SPACE.
AND SO A GROCERY STORE COULD
BRING IN 150 OR 200 JOBS.
AND SO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT AN
ENTIRE COMMUNITY NOT JUST OK WE
ARE GOING TO LOCATE ONE STORE.
AND I HATE TO ALWAYS USE THE
COMPARISON TO LINCOLN PARK BUT
IF THE ALDI IN LINCOLN PARK
CLOSED IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T EVEN
BE A HUGE STORY BECAUSE OF THE
AMOUNT OF FOOD RETAIL,
RESTAURANTS, AND OTHER FOOD
RELATED BUSINESSES THAT ARE
LOCATED IN THAT COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE CONSIDER OVERALL FOOD
RETAIL AND ALSO FOOD OWNERSHIP
WITHIN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
WHO OWNS IT, WHAT IS THERE.
>> AND RUBY WHAT IS THE CHICAGO
FOOD EQUITY COUNCIL DOING TO
ADDRESS THIS?
>> I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT
WITH ARP FUNDS WE WERE ABLE TO
PUT IN A PROPOSAL FOR A FOOD
EQUITY APPROACH THAT INCLUDES
STARTING A CHICAGO GOOD FOOD
FUND WHICH GIVES US AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY TO
DRIVE SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS FOOD
INSECURITIES.
SO THE PREMISE IS THAT THERE
WILL BE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
THAT INCLUDE TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE TRAINING TO CATALYZE
COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR
ISSUES.
WE KNOW THAT EVERY COMMUNITY
SOLUTION IS NOT GOING TO BE THE
SAME AND THAT WHEN COMMUNITY
SOLUTIONS ARE DRIVEN BY MEMBERS
OF THAT BASE, THEY ARE MORE
LIKELY TO LAST FOR LONGER THERE
ARE ROOTS AND TEETH WITH THAT
SOLUTION.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE
THAT WE'LL HAVE A CHICAGO GOOD
FOOD FUND AND SUPPORT FOREOTHER
ELEMENTS OF THE FOOD SYSTEM LIKE
URBAN AGRICULTURE.
IF WE THINK ABOUT LOCAL FRESH
FOODS AND HOW WE GET THEM IN OUR
COMMUNITY HOW CAN WE SUPPORT
GROWERS IN THE COMMUNITY TO
SUPPORT CULTURALLY RELEVANT