I have received a lot of positive responses to the “Garlic in a Jar” post and the article that inspired it, so I’ve been thinking. This shows that food access and accessibility are big issues for a lot of us, and especially those of us with chronic illnesses. This dovetails into a lot of what the Disability Intersection believes in, like positive body image and body neutrality when that is hard, economic justice, and the value of people.
The idea of food as a right can be difficult for a lot of people, including disabled people. Many of us grew up with abuse, neglect or some combination of both or were told abusive, untrue things about food, our bodies, and our worth. When these messages are combined, we can feel like we don’t “deserve” food, which is a huge lie. It doesn’t help that our society is so focused on what we produce or that people have collectively experienced a lot of trauma. What comes up for you when you think of food as a right? How can we best address food access and accessibility concerns in marginalized communities? As the disability intersection grows, would creating a barter system help? What would we need it to look like? How do we make food access/food banks more co-op oriented and keep the DIY vibe of co-ops from resulting in exclusion? Just some ideas. Open to yours, too. Thanks!