One such model took shape in North Charleston, South Carolina, where community organizer and food justice leader Germaine Jenkins helped transform a former food desert into fertile ground for change. Racial disparities and poverty are big contributors, entangled with lack of access to affordable, nutritious food and the reality of numerous food deserts. “If we want the best quality food, we have to have the best cared for farming community,” Jenkins said. But there was more control about how we live and eat when we owned our own land,” Jenkins said. The Black Food & Justice Alliance plays a critical role in connecting these efforts.