A Drop of Midnight: A Memoir

by Jason Timbuktu Diakité

The poorer you are, the worse nutrition you get. Like their forefathers, the descendants of slaves are at the bottom of the food hierarchy. The lack of nutritious food in the ghettos of certain American megacities is so serious that the phenomenon was given a name: food desert. A food desert is any area where it’s impossible to buy fresh fruits or vegetables within a one-mile radius. In certain cities in the United States, the radius is as large as ten miles. The limited access residents of the ghetto have to cars and public transportation makes access to nutritious, wholesome food even more difficult. If you add in the proliferation of fast-food chains in these areas, the spread of conditions like obesity and diabetes is unavoidable. A lemon at Whole Foods costs more than a hamburger at a fast-food restaurant. These food deserts are found in Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis, Detroit, Camden, and dozens of other cities around the country.