Race, Food, and Justice: Resident-Led Change to Support a Sustainable Food System

ABOUT

We work with community by supporting existing Black-owned food-based enterprises in the Central community and East Cleveland, connecting all of our efforts in a systematic way to create tangible and economically viable food systems. This includes: 1) A Food Co-op that is built, owned, operated, and managed by local residents, 2) A Community Garden Network which turns vacant lots nearby into a gardens, 3) A Health Food Café, 4) A Food Jobs Pipeline that connects to food- related training and employment opportunities, 5) A Food Delivery Program with grocery and meal delivery, 6) Farmer’s Markets located in and around the Central neighborhood, and 7) Technical Assistance/Leadership Development to assist in entrepreneurial endeavors.

Our Impact

We will use this platform to scale, expand and build support for neighborhood engagement, drive economic development, and capacity building centered on community needs and priorities. It is our collective vision to develop a cooperative that values the lived experience of Black residents and is grounded in the shift and transfer of power to impacted residents by employing community wealth building, civic engagement education and systems change framework.

BUILD PRINCIPLES

BUILD and its communities apply bold, upstream, integrated, local, and data-driven (BUILD) approaches to improve health in communities that are adversely affected by upstream factors.

Bold

We will utilize a bold and solutions approach of wealth creation as a long-term outcome. We will unapologetically build a Black Power, Black Leadership and Black Ownership model. The motivating goals are to: 1) engage Central residents of color throughout the planning process; 2) increase capacity within the Central community to provide for both economic and food needs; 3) promote a comprehensive political and economically sustainable response to both local food access and nutrition challenges.

Upstream

Ownership, resident leadership, influence and integration into institutions and systems level engagement with the health system health campus development and health department is our upstream sustainable model. Our policy approach will be developed based on community voice through authentic engagement and lived experience. We will influence policy and hold seats of power at the city level, working primarily through the Racism as a Public Health Crisis committees and others.

Integrated

The Central-Kinsman Food Cooperative Steering Committee (CKFC) is a cross community and broad cross-sector collaboration between residents, institutions, public, private, and community organizations led by EHW. Through BUILD, we partner to host listening sessions with local Black farmers to build capacity and support the local supply and distribution chain to create food sovereignty in Cleveland. This partnership continues to support policy solutions to address food access at the local level.

Local

We recognize that food access needs within low-income communities of color are deeply economic in character, and thus strive to find solutions while also promoting economic growth and sustainability. Both the predevelopment and the development process occur under the guidance of a community-based steering committee and the planning team, comprised of 50% Central residents who have voting and decision-making power related to engagement, business development, resources, and governance.

Data-Driven

The Department is committed to assist in data collection, analysis, and GIS mapping. Our CKFC team collects qualitative data through community conversations, surveys and pilot activations. We work with both the City Office of Epidemiology and Population Health and Sisters of Charity Health System on data analysis, interpretation and delivery to inform stages of implementation and education. Both city and hospital data are also used to track metrics of success.