'We will not perish; we're going to keep flourishing': Race, Food Access, and Geographies of Self- Reliance

摘要

Drawing from 18months of ethnographic fieldwork in Washington, DC, this article outlines geographies of self-reliance; a theoretical framework for understanding black food geographies that are embedded in histories of self-reliance as a response to structural inequalities. Using a community garden as a case study, I argue that the garden functions as a site for addressing several manifestations of structural violence: racist and classist depictions of low-income and working class people, joblessness, gentrification, and youth underdevelopment. Drawing on self-reliance ideologies as well as collective and personal histories, the residents exhibit a form of agency that demonstrates unwavering hope in the sustainability of their shared community. Through this analysis, I show that self-reliance functions as a mechanism through which residents navigate spatial inequalities.