Ethical Lessons from Yesteryear: A History of Black Buffalo’s Struggle for Food and Equity

Historically, Black Buffalonians have adopted formal and informal means of eliminating disparities in the food system. While some of these efforts concentrate solely on improving food access, or people’s ability to procure healthy and affordable food, there have also been efforts to use food as a means of transforming the economic reality of Black communities. This chapter builds on the existing body of black studies and food justice literature to examine the intersections between local food politics and ethics. Utilizing Buffalo, New York, as a case study, this chapter will explore the efforts and ethics of Black residents who envisioned food as a means to transform the sociopolitical landscape of the city. In doing so, we uncover how different groups were driven by the ethics of process and results, and embodied principles of ethical engagement outlined by Howe and Kaufman even before their time. The historical underpinnings of black food work in Buffalo, N.Y. offer valuable lessons about the accomplishments, challenges, and potential next steps toward creating community-oriented food systems.