Dying to Eat? Black Food Geographies of Slow Violence and Resilience
Naya Jones, PhD
How do Black food geographies feel? How do these feelings matter? For Black healing? For food justice?
Drawing on black geographies, healing arts, and Rob Nixon’s (2011) concept of slow violence, Dying to Eat uses digital storytelling and GIFmaking to witness African-American and Afro-Latinx testimonies of “food while Black” in the United States. From navigating racial surveillance to (re)claiming space, the project is based on interviews, news stories, and personal experiences.
[Please do no use GIFs without permission at this time. Gratitude!]
<< Witness>>
Figure 1: “Joaquin’s Testimony”
Shirt designed by Tameika L. Hannah @ www.coffeeshopblue.com and Dr. Mitsy Chanel-Blot. (Photo by K. Thomas 2018). Visit article for more. Description: Naya faces the shopping shelves with basket in hand. She bears witness to Joaquin’s testimony with movement: she reaches for an item deliberately, and makes sure her hands are always visible. The motion repeats.
Figure 2: “The Smile”
Visit article for more. Description: in the GIF, Naya faces a shopping aisle in a grocery store. She turns with a smile. The action repeats.
Figure 3: “Processing”
Description: in the GIF, a body is sitting on the ground cross-legged. Hands motion inward and outward, moving circular toward the stomach. The motion repeats. | Shirt designed by Tameika L. Hannah @ www.coffeeshopblue.com and Dr. Mitsy Chanel-Blot. (Photo by K. Thomas 2018). Visit article for more.
