Here is the hard truth: climate change is real and it is impacting communities of color disproportionately globally.
According to Conservation.org, 2023 was the hottest year on record. In addition, the ten warmest years on record have all been in the past decade.
This past June, the Caribbean islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinez – sisters islands of Grenada – suffered devasting damage due to Hurricane Beryl, which has been noted as the earliest forming category five during any season in the Atlantic.
In a scathing response, Grenada’s Prime Minister Hon. Dickon Mitchell said in a post shared on Instagram, “The hurricane is a direct result of the climate crisis that Grenada, the Caribbean and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are in the front line of. We demand and deserve climate justice.”
It is well documented that Black communities in the U.S., as well as around the globe, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Yet, our voices and generations of agricultural expertise are ignored and disregarded and we are here to change that.
Lifting Up Climate Issues and Finding Solutions
Cuisine Noir’s new Climate + Food reporting looks at climate change and its intersection with food and our foodways through a cultural lens. In addition, it is the first Black media outlet to focus on the issues and solutions that can be implemented all the way down from farmers and urban farmers to everyday folks.
“I am both excited and excited about this work that I know as a Black media outlet has the potential to help bring small rewards, leading up to the ultimate big one and that is saving our planet,” says executive director Sheree Williams.
She adds, “We have an amazing platform to bring these stories, concerns and solutions to the forefront and the focus is not just here in the U.S. but globally.”
The new digital section is off to a great start with articles offering a level set of what climate change is featuring Deep Routes founder Maya Stansberry. “The current climate crisis is primarily caused by human activities driven by corporate industrialization and exploitation of land and labor for profit,” says Stansberry in the article. “The rapid global spread of climate change over the past almost 200 years has resulted from prioritizing economic growth over environmental sustainability, leading to widespread environmental damage.”
Urban farmer Jamila Norman from the Magnolia Network hit show, “Homegrown,” is featured in a separate article where she says the effects of climate change are definitely felt.
Sheree shares, “We are just getting started and our team is so excited to report on these stories in authentic, empowering and inspiring ways, especially to the next generation who will carry the torch in our communities and work to mitigate the climate crisis and receive justice.”
Readers are encouraged to follow Cuisine Noir to learn about key players in the academic field and those doing the work in communities. In addition, to understand how they too have a role to play and how to play it.