Sometimes numbers speak louder than words. In Washington DC, a single grocery store serves the 85,000 residents of Wards 7 and 8, the historically disenfranchised neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. Zooming further out, 35% of people living in our nation’s capital are designated as food insecure, lacking an adequate amount of food for a healthy life. Again, the data tells the story. The legacy of racism in public policymaking is borne by people of color, from food to housing and healthcare. In this episode of Power Station, Tiffany Fitzpatrick explains how DC Greens, the nonprofit she leads, created The Well at Oxen Run, an acre of land in Ward 8 dedicated to growing produce and providing communal green space for all Washingtonians. DC Greens also runs Produce Rx, a program that enables doctors to prescribe healthy food as a medical intervention and provides a food allowance to make access possible. All of DC Greens strategies, including their policy advocacy, is informed, and driven by the community. A truly entrepreneurial nonprofit, DC Greens is shifting these initiatives to DC government’s ownership, ensuring their ongoing fiscal support. This is how change is made.
