History of Urban Food Activism

Today, 'food activism' is more likely to evoke images of organic gardening and farmers' markets than anti-poverty coalitions and free school breakfast programs. Yet with 1 in 8 Americans at risk for hunger (and 1 in 6 children), problems of poverty and access remain urgent. This course, which focuses on New York City and other urban areas in the United States, uses the methods of social and cultural history to broaden our thinking about food activism in the late twentieth century, focusing on experiences of organizing against poverty-induced hunger and the political, economic, and social contexts that shaped urban food activism. 3 hrs. lect.