>> 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