The following is a repost from www.foodrevival.com
The Food Summit appropriately began with Ms. Odessa Woolfolk, a Civil Rights Activist who has received numerous awards based on her commitment to community service. She inspired us from the start with quotes like "Do something in the space you share" and my personal favorite, " You have to bloom where you are." She asked a very important question: Why in the world of plenty are there so many hungry people? Clearly, poverty isn't a new subject in Birmingham as she used excerpts from Martin Luther King’s writings and her own experiences growing up in Birmingham. Though it is clear that poverty is not a distant memory as Ms. Woolfolk explains, " This is SO now." So what do we do? How do we help? According to Ms. Odessa Woolfolk, we:
1) Define the problem
2) Trace the source of the problem
3) Confront those that are responsible: you have to name names.
4) Engage energies of those harmed by the problem
5) Inform the public: we have to use the tools we have to let the public know what the problem is and who is to blame
6) Never give up: you have to be persistent while maintaining love and respect.
Ms. Woolfolk grew up in the Titusville community and attended Birmingham public schools. She remembers a time in Birmingham when 10% lived in public housing. Community gardens were all over Birmingham because they were places that provided food to the residents and a sense of community. If you take a look at housing communities now-- they are usually in areas where grocery stores are not accessible or require transportation. What a great reminder of just how lucky I am to have access to food- to grocery stores- to nutritious food sources. And it also happened to be a great start to a really informative day.
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