DJ Cavem.Moetavation hopes to inspire a forward-thinking generation of hip-hop. Photo by Sam DeLeo, heyreverb.com.
Rallying cries like “Black Lives Matter” have been at the forefront of conversations in communities of color since Michael Brown was gunned down in Ferguson, Mo., last August. For many, police brutality remains the most pressing issue facing black and brown communities.
For activist (a.k.a. Five Points native Ietef Vita), there’s an equally important issue not being discussed: food justice.
Cavem, who’s also an organic gardener, educator, , and all-around green evangelist and B-boy, believes minority communities are facing a crisis in access to healthy food and the ripple effects of fast food-heavy marketing and imagery. One of his solutions is to provide scholarships to urban youth, which he hopes will more deeply integrate community plans that address the crisis.
“So many people are working to shame these killer cops, but we really need to be shaming these old recipes and fast food companies that are killing our bodies,” he said. “We can really grow food to heal ourselves from everything that ails us.”
Cavem’s message has traveled far and wide lately, from the pages of Oprah’s “O” magazine to , where he and partner Alkemia Earth were among various entertainers, chefs and educators to perform for (and meet) with President Barack Obama and The First Lady.
(Provided by Ietef Vita)
Locally, Denver’s Urban Youth Summit is recruiting young people aged 16-21 to create a plan of food justice development in urban communities. The “My Hood Matters” campaign is built to amplify engagement with a food justice-specific approach.
Students are encouraged to create a plan that will breathe life into their communities. The idea is to help students understand the growing urban gardening and green movements in cities across the country — with his hip-hop album “The Produce Section” as a musical component, of course.
Cavem will be teaching at in Denver in the Urban Studies program in the spring, creating curriculum that’s community-focused and that works with other educators to emphasize the importance of food justice.
(Provided by Ietef Vita)
He believes the economics of food activism should be easy to implement with youth leading the cause. And music, he says, is only one way to engage young people in changing the climate of health in black and brown communities. Another simple strategy? Money. The winner of the “My Hood Matters” proposal will receive $3,000 as a cash prize and automatic entry into Johnson & Whales’ $20,000 “renewable” scholarship program.
“So many people celebrate not sleeping, not taking care of ourselves and itap time to start celebrating living. We have to change the images of wealth and how death is marketed to our kids. Planting and growing your own food is the most revolutionary thing you can do. Itap time to start healing our bodies.”
To engage families further, DJ Cavem is also launching a series of “culinary concerts” at Natural Grocers stores across Colorado. Cavem’s team will give away $300 of organic produce while the MC is performing songs that feature recipes for healthy living as the lyrics. Itap an innovative concept, but one Cavem believes will help create longevity in the lives of people in his community.
“‘The Produce Section’ will facilitate the conversation while the families can partake of smoothies and other healthy, good food for their bodies. I’ll be performing in the actual produce section, explaining through the music how we can live in a healthy manner that builds our bodies and doesn’t tear it down,” he says.
To celebrate the third anniversary of the release of “The Produce Section,” the MC has released a new video with singer Cody Chestnutt that not only addresses the food justice crisis but breathes encouragement into the solution-oriented movement.
The first Culinary Concert is 2 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Natural Grocers at Colorado and Evans. Students can apply to the “My Hood Matters” campaign at the Denver Johnson & Whales .
