Introductory Post
May 9, 2024 by Tahsin Ador
I want to become a lawyer in the future, and Political Science major is a very popular major for people who want to go Law school. I chose Political Science as my major because I really enjoy discussing different issues that our society faces on the regular. Also, through Political Science major I was able to gain knowledge on how laws are made and how the public is affected by decisions made by the government. Understanding the laws of this nation will help me defend my rights, thus understanding them is really beneficial. Political Science has courses in a variety of topics, like International Relations, Gender in Politics, and, Race in Politics, etc. Since my major allows me to get a glimpse of so many different sides of social issues, I can later choose which Law I want to focus on. Gaining knowledge in different types of issues is really helpful in helping me choose which Law is best suited for me. The Political Science courses I have taken so far have been fascinating and I really enjoyed learning different theories.
My Findings On Food Insecuirity In Minority Neighborhoods
April 1, 2024 by Tahsin Ador
What is a Food Dessert?
Food deserts are places where people have less access to healthy and affordable food options. Often times the food available in these areas are, junk foods, which leads to people living in those areas developing multiple health issues. A lot of minority communities live in these food deserts, which can cause food insecurity. Food insecurity is when people don’t have proper access to healthy food options.
What groups are most affected by Food Deserts?
Minority communities are more affected by Food Deserts than any other backgrounds. Black and Hispanic families tend to struggle more when it comes to accessing healthy foods. Some of the reasons for this is that, they live in poor neighborhoods with less access to healthy foods, most food available to them is fast food, also due to racism, they are systematically kept in these poor neighborhoods. They live in poor neighborhoods because they don’t have well paying jobs, which they end up being in this endless cycle of poverty and lack of access to good food.
Source: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/nearly-half-of-black-and-hispanic-people-in-the-us-face-food-insecurity-new-study-finds
Why is it so difficult for minority communities to eat healthy?
There are multiple reasons for why they can’t access healthy foods. Minority communities tend to live in poor neighborhoods, that are either food deserts or mostly populated with unhealthy fast food options. Most fast food companies open up stores in poorer neighborhoods, which is cheaper than other healthier options. Since, people in these neighborhoods are poor due to lack of jobs they have no option but to choose the cheaper unhealthy food rather than the healthy food. Oftentimes minority neighborhoods don’t even have supermarkets available to them, for them to go and buy the necessary foods for themselves. Since they live in food deserts, it is very difficult for them to get good food. According to this John Hopkins Magazine, ““These women were obese, with diabetes or hypertension at really young ages, in their 30s,” says Bower, who noticed that the women lived in unsafe neighborhoods, often with no parks, gyms, or supermarkets, where the convenience stores sold junk food.”. (Brooks, 2014). This goes to show how they have no access to the things that are necessary to live a good and healthy life. Sometimes the minority communities do have access to supermarkets. The problem even when they have access to healthy foods is how far they have to travel to get the food they need. Saying that they have access to supermarkets for healthy foods doesn’t really make sense, because they are traveling a lot further to get something as simple as groceries. According to this study, “A study in Detroit found that people living in predominantly Black low-income neighborhoods travel an average of 1.1 miles farther to the closest supermarket than people living in predominantly White low-income neighborhoods.” (“Access to Foods That Support Healthy Dietary Patterns – Healthy People 2030 | Health.gov”). This shows how minority communist are struggling to find the regular necessities needed for daily lives. They are traveling a lot further to get the healthy food they need. If they are traveling more, that means they are also spending more money. Traveling to get groceries means they are paying for public transportation or paying for the extra gas they are using while traveling to the grocery stores. They can’t afford to pay for the extra expenses, since the reason they have to be in this bad situation is poverty.
How does this affect their quality of life?
We all know that eating healthy nutritious food is important in living a good life. Not eating healthy can lead to a lot of health issues. Eating healthy foods can help boost your immune system and help you live longer. Not being able to get the proper nutritious food that they need, leads to health risks. Always eating junk food can lead to diabetes, obesity, and other cardiovascular diseases. According to the Center for Disease Control, “Non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9%) had the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanic adults (45.6%), non-Hispanic White adults (41.4%) and non-Hispanic Asian adults (16.1%).” (CDC, 2022). This CDC data shows that minority communities are more at risk of health issues than other races.
How can we solve the issue of Food Insecurity?
This issue of food insecurity is not an impossible task to solve. If we as a community come together we can solve this problem. Food insecurity doesn’t benefit anyone, so the sooner we can get rid of this problem the better. Some possible solutions to ending this crisis are SNAP benefits, opening up more groceries in these neighborhoods, the government supporting grocery stores, opening up more parks, and more robust public transportation. Opening up more parks will help people work out and get healthier. Also, programs and incentives that can help families grow their own food in their backyard or in a community garden can help families eat healthier foods. They can grow their own food which will help them cut down on some expenses.