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Meet 13 Washingtonians making D.C. a better, more equitable place to eat.
By City Paper staff and contributors
The change-makers who fill the pages of this year's Food Issue shape our local food system and make D.C. an exciting place to eat, even as the District is gripped by a global pandemic.
Amongthemareapastrychefwhose crumb of an idea turned into a global bake sale that raised close to $2 million for organizations combating systemic racism, a Mutual Aid Movement worker who brings groceries to home-bound residents at high risk of contracting CO VID-19, and an entrepreneur out to prove a food hall filled with Black-owned businesses can bring tourism to River Terrace. They all envision a D.C. where residents have access to fresh, healthy food and economic opportunities no mattertheir address, and where multiculturalism and diversity are deeply valued and celebrated. May their stories light a fire under our collective butts to challenge what's possible, in this region and throughout the world. -Laura Hayes
Mary Blackford, Founder, Market 7
Mary Blackford is in the process of filling 7,000 square feet of a building with Black-owned food and retail businesses. To aid in the selection, she's held pop-ups throughout D.C. featuring 60 different vendors over the past three years. Her enterprise, Market 7, will open inside Benning Market, in Ward 7's River Terrace neighborhood, in 2021. She beat out 600 entrants this month to win a $150,000 grant in the Pine-Sol and ESSENCE Build Your Legacy Contest that will be put toward the project.
The food hall won't just be a game changer for those who sell food and drink. Blackford's vision is for Market 7 to be a boon for the ward where she grew up. She's tired ofthe markers of success multinational corporations use as excuses for not opening stores in the neighborhood. "This idea of us being too poor to get a grocery store is not true," she says. "Other concepts can work. I want to infuse some food tourism on this side of the river, where you can experience our culture through food, family, and community events."
Many neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are labeled as food deserts, and the dearth of healthy food options and grocers has enduring health consequences....