LaDonna Redmond Brings Food Justice Message to USU

There is little that cuts across class and culture as completely as food. But, the literal bread of life has vastly different meanings in extremely disparate neighborhoods throughout the nation. The “food justice” movement aims to address those discrepancies.

LaDonna Redmond is an eloquent advocate and dominating force in the current food justice movement.

As part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Tanner Talks series, Redmond will speak from 11:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m. Wedneday, April 8, in Old Main 115 on the Utah State University campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Redmond also will be a guest on Utah Public Radio.

A Chicago native, Redmond became involved in the food justice movement when her young son developed food allergies and she found it impossible to find quality organic produce in her West Side neighborhood.

“I lived in a community where I could get a semi-automatic weapon easier than I could get an organic tomato,” Redmond said.

Small, neighborhood stores — the only stores to which many urban dwellers have easy access — often offer only junk food and no fresh produce. These areas are known as “food deserts.”

Redmond’s efforts to improve access to healthy and organically grown food in her own neighborhood began with an initiative converting area vacant lots into urban farms. Neighbors pitched in to provide the labor that allowed them to build a healthier local food system.

From that beginning, Redmond has steadily become one of the country’s most notable food justice advocates. She founded the Campaign for Food Justice Now (CFJN) in 2013 and her TEDxManhattan talk the same year was wildly successful and has since been seen online by thousands of viewers.

“Food justice is not just about nutrition,” Redmond said in a TEDx presentation. “It’s about dignity. It’s about visibility.”

Indeed, the food justice movement seeks to address the variety of social, political and economic issues that currently creates inequalities in the nation’s food system.

“We must join together to create a narrative where all are invited to sit at the table to create the food system we need,” Redmond said.

Redmond’s visit to the Utah State campus, as well as all other Tanner Talks, are made possible by a grant from the O.C. Tanner Charitable Trust. Utah State University is one of three state colleges endowed to create lecture series that honor the educational legacy of Obert Tanner.

Related link:

USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Writer: Kristin Middaugh, CHaSS communications director, kristin.middaugh@usu.edu

Contact: CHaSS office, (435) 435-797-1195