Juliana Dearr

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dean, Erin

Keywords

Newtown, Florida, Food Security, Nutrition

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the issues surrounding food access in Newtown, the historic black neighborhood of Sarasota, FL. Poor nutrition, particularly in economically distressed areas, reinforces and maintains the violent cycle of poverty, as nutrition problems increase the risk of chronic health conditions. Ethnography and quantitative data collection on food availability and transportation access are the key methods. This research will show Newtown's consumption of healthy food is hindered by the sparse availability of fresh food, lacking transportation, education gaps, and time and money constraints. These barriers must be addressed to create systemic improvements to Newtown's welfare. Several community-based organizations, particularly the Community Health Action Team (CHAT) and Orange Blossom Community Garden, are approaching these problems with education initiatives and mobilization efforts. Food access is one of many ways America is structurally unequal. To actualize equality in the future, current inequalities must be disassembled. The process by which food scarcity is alleviated can work within a framework of structural inequality of it can be a method that stimulates agency in marginalized communities.

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