Photo credit: Mickey Z.
Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
Feb. 14, 2015
“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.”
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
Embracing a life of activism means being a teacher and student at the same time. I was recently reminded of this while re-watching a talk I gave last year at the NYC March Against Monsanto. In that speech, I told the several thousand attendees how the first step in the fight against GMOs is to “not buy them.”
I can only imagine how privileged and oblivious and unhelpful my advice sounded to anyone in that crowd who lives in a food desert. For me, this can only mean one thing: Back to school.
“Low-income and low-access thresholds”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food deserts are defined as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options. The lack of access contributes to a poor diet and can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.”
The USDA's Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million people live in food deserts and more than half of those people (13.5 million) are low-income.
Census tracts qualify as food deserts if they meet low-income and low-access thresholds:
1. They qualify as "low-income communities" based on having: a) a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater, OR b) a median family income at or below 80 percent of the area median family income; AND
2. They qualify as "low-access communities" based on the determination that at least 500 persons and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract's population live more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (10 miles, in the case of non-metropolitan census tracts).
For more info, please check out and share the USDA food desert locator here.
Define “Easy”
As I re-acquainted myself with the above information, I recalled (and cringed at) how many times I’ve publicly declared something like: “It’s so easy to go vegan” or “If you buy organic, you’ll easily avoid GMOs.”
(insert sad trombone here)
Thus, I say again: I can only imagine how privileged and oblivious and unhelpful my advice sounds to anyone who lives in a food desert.
The primary lesson here is: Check your privilege. The parallel lesson is equally as crucial: Checking our privilege requires 24/7 diligence.
If activists of all stripes become more inclusive, less arrogant, and much more willing to listen, we can learn plenty from those who endure oppression every minute of every day. From there, deep solidarity is not only possible… it’s inevitable.
#shifthappens
Mickey Z. is the author of 12 books, most recently Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on the Web here. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here.
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Based on a work at https://worldnewstrust.com/food-deserts-solidarity-food-justice-mickey-z.
Buy these books by Mickey Z. here:
Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism
A Q&A guide to becoming an activist by a leader in the Occupy movement in New York City. Full of insights into what it takes to be an activist, accompanied by quirky toons by Richard Cole, Mickey Z. advocates saving our world from the tyranny of global environmental disaster, animal abuses, war profiteering and the abuses of government against its citizens. Occupy this Book is a daily reminder of how to stay in the movement and to stay in top shape as an activist.
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A Darker Shade of Green
J.T. is a sensitive but privileged 12-year-old who s runaway to New York City. He soon comes under the guidance of Allie Romano, a homeless man who stays afloat by challenging people to chess and scamming book clubs for free books to sell. Allie quickly becomes a teacher and mentor for J.T. setting off a chain of events that just might explain how an American chess champion could wind up wanted by the FBI for eco-terrorism. Told in a documentary style, this manifesto/expose weaves internet posts, diary entries, quotes and interviews to tell stories within stories. The reader, much like J.T., has a lot to learn. Award winning author Mickey Z. brings an unrelenting compassion to the troubles of our modern world, pointing us in one clear direction: It s time to embrace a darker shade of green.
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James Hemming is a personal trainer who, in his spare time, enters air guitar contests mimicking Vito Bratta of the old hair metal band, White Lion. He meets the waif-like Indigo at the gym and recruits her into a plot to make himself famous while resurrecting Vito's legend. The tale unfolds through a pasticcio of flashbacks, diary entries, letters to Vito, and related vignettes that suddenly segue off to introduce back-stories, underlying themes, and other unexpected intersections. It's funny, quirky, perverted, and guaranteed to provoke a response.
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Radicals, feminists, environmentalists, activists for animal rights, human rights, civil rights--there are plenty of rebels and dissidents putting their safety on the line for what they believe in. Conversely, there's never been a shortage of reactionaries seeking to repress such vision and passion, often turning peaceful demonstrations into violent clashes in the process. This guide gets readers off and running in the right direction. From eye gouges to groin punches, they'll find a powerful collection of tactics which they can use to fight back.
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No Innocent Bystanders: Riding Shotgun in the Land of Denial
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The world is creeping towards destruction--no, not theoretically--it's really happening. In these last hours will humanity come together to correct their collective wrongs? Or will there be rampant beatings and kinky sex? A group of strangers are brought together by synchronicity to answer the age-old question: you lookin' at me, punk? The answer entails the comeuppance of the rich, police brutality, aerobic instruction by the Messiah, sexual slavery, and mutating genes.(Is this sounding good? I hope so. It's not easy writing these. I'm just a corporate monkey trying to snag your hard-earned dollars but don't let that get in the way of buying this book. Did I mention SEX yet?)Author Mickey Z's experimental tour-de-force is a funny, challenging deconstruction of the concept of the "novel" as well as life in the United States of America.
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As new book. In this invaluable reference guide, you'll find 50 reasons to be a proud, progressive patriot, including: Thomas Paine fueling the revolutionary fire with common sense. Emma Goldman spreading anarchy in the USA; Eugene Debs running for president from his prison cell. etc.
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