The West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side lost access to fresh food after Aldi, 821 W. 115th Street, closed its doors last week despite ensuring the community otherwise. The chain follows a number of other grocery stores that have shuttered their doors in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
A representative from Aldi could not be reached for comment. The store follows Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and Walgreens, some of which have small produce markets, in abandoning Black consumers at a time when food insecurity is at an all-time high.
About 63.5 percent of residents in West Englewood and 52 percent of residents in East Garfield Park live more than half a mile from their nearest grocery store, whereas, in the predominantly white and affluent West Town neighborhood, less than 1 percent of residents experience this barrier to nutrition, according to the city, where Mayor Brandon Johnson has made food equity a priority in his administration.
An estimated 19 million people in the United States live in so-called food deserts, where they have lower access to healthy and nutritious food.
When grocery chains close, officials often cite shoplifting and a subsequent loss of revenue as the central reason for their decision to close shops in Black neighborhoods. Some activists believe something else is at play, and the closures are on trend with other forms of disinvestment. Other leaders believe the closures are disrespectful and urge nationwide consumer boycotts.
“Now the bully pulls out and says it doesn’t want to be here anymore, to leave our community with a large empty building and a desert of resources,” Rev. Michael Pfleger said in 2023 after Walmart simultaneously shuttered its doors in Chatham, Kenwood, Lake View, and Little Village neighborhoods. “If Walmart leaves us, we will leave Walmart.”
“It’s just taking away from our community,” Tiffany West told ABC7 when Whole Foods abruptly closed its doors in 2022. “We’ll go back to a food desert. People will have to travel far to get the food and things that they need.”
New data reveals a stark disparity in food insecurity rates among Black communities in the United States that continues to rise. Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly those in economically disadvantaged communities, face higher rates of chronic diseases and obesity.
According to the USDA, nearly 9 million Black people could not access enough food to lead a healthy, active life. The report “Feeding America,” released in 2022, said 1 in 3 Black children lived without reliable access to food.
Low-income census tracts show that 33 percent of the population is greater than one-half mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area or greater than 10 miles for a rural area. Using this measure, the USDA estimates 53.6 million people, or 17.4 percent of the U.S. population, live in tracts that have low access to a grocery store or fresh food.
While the United States has an overall poverty rate of 11.1 percent, within the Black community, the poverty rate is 17.1 percent. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 37 percent of Black people experience Homelessness, and more than 50 percent of homeless Black families have children.
African Americans represent roughly 13 percent of the total U.S. population; however, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, 37 percent of Black people are in prison or jail. The Coalition for Food and Health Equity says mass incarceration is one of the leading causes of food insecurity.
Structural racism impacts the cost, financing, reporting, and access to quality insurance coverage with food security, including access to nutritional literacy resources and education for healthcare management.
“Redlining (and other forms of) housing discrimination has created wealth disparity, economic disinvestment, and marginalization of Black neighborhoods,” the group noted in its annual report. “This insidious form of racial discrimination has created concentrated areas of poverty, food deserts, and economic, educational, and health inequity. Black and Brown people are at far greater risk of being targeted, profiled, and arrested for minor offenses, especially in high poverty areas.
“Further, racial profiling and racist policing practices create extreme racial disparities in incarceration, impacting individuals’ and families’ experience with/need for food, housing, healthcare, and financial assistance,” the group said. “Lastly, “policies that restrict employment for individuals who were previously incarcerated could disadvantage people of color, contributing to food insecurity.”
According to the Chicago Food Equity Agenda, 19 percent of Chicagoans face food insecurity, with 29 percent in majority-Latinx communities and 37 percent in majority-Black communities suffering from food insecurity, the Wellness Coalition noted. “Lack of access to healthy food is associated with a range of health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. According to the Center for American Progress, food insecurity costs the U.S. economy $130.5 billion in unnecessary health care costs.”
Local grassroots efforts are essential in combating hunger and access to quality nutrition in Chicago, and many residents are fighting back. Community gardens, mutual aid networks, and food cooperatives provide local, sustainable, and affordable food options. These initiatives, led by such organizations as the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Grow Greater Englewood (GGE) and Dion’s Dream–which purchases and delivers fresh produce to South Side residents–help create a sense of ownership and self-reliance among residents.
Established in 2017, GGE works in partnership with community stakeholders to develop local food economies and land sovereignty. The brainchild of L. Anton Seals, a public policy expert, community and a nationally recognized leader in the food justice movement, the group operates a village market where vendors sell and distribute fresh produce grown in neighborhood gardens to customers.
“Food sovereignty is what many community groups like GGE are working to build out, beyond just the market,” Seals said in a statement to the Crusader. “ We want to build ways so nutritious food can be available for Black people in Chicago.
“With a new federal regime that has demonstrated no openness to address any of these issues, the fight for access for Black farmers will only intensify and Black people will have less protections and access to government support in communities where the market fails to deliver anything but food high in salt and sugar,” Seals said.
In October, more than 100 people gathered at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Oct. 10 for “Bridging the Equity Gap: Food Insecurity on the West Side.” The forum was hosted by Wellness West, a coalition of West Side organizations dedicated to creating a transformational continuity of care among hospitals, community health centers, community mental health centers, social services, and other critical points of care.
The Urban Growers Collective has transformed vacant lots into productive urban farms, providing fresh produce to thousands of residents. The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Fresh Truck mobile markets have brought healthy food options to food deserts across the city.
The Collective is a Black- and women-led non-profit organization with a mission of building “more just and equitable local food system by addressing inequities and structural racism in the food system and communities of color,” according to its mission statement. They cultivate eight urban farms on 11 acres of land, primarily on Chicago’s South Side.
Few would disagree that addressing food insecurity in Black communities, requires a multifaceted approach. Government assistance programs and non-profit organizations play a crucial role in providing immediate relief and long-term solutions.
On September 13, 2023, Mayor Johnson revealed a partnership with the Economic Security Project to investigate the feasibility of a city-run grocery store. The goal is to address food deserts and improve food access in historically underserved communities.
“All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options. We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson at the time.
“A better, stronger, safer future is one where our youth and our communities have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive,” he said. “My administration is committed to advancing innovative, whole-of-government approaches to address these inequities. I am proud to work alongside partners to take this step in envisioning what a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago could look like.”