On September 15th, 2022 we held an exhibition of these photos and captions at the Martin Luther King, Jr. branch of the Cleveland Public Library. This is a digital extension of that exhibition.
Study participants (all Cleveland residents) were asked to reflect on things that they were proud of and things that demanded change in their food environments and communities. Their resultant images and words contribute to community discourse surrounding health, equity, and nutrition.
Photovoice is a participatory method, defined as a “process by which people can identify, represent and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique” (Wang and Burris 1997, p. 369).
Photovoice has three main goals;
● to document and reflect on the strengths and gaps within a community,
● to enhance critical discussion and knowledge sharing about community concerns,
● to share community issues with policymakers.
During this process, participants reflect on a guiding question or prompt using photography.
In this study, 6 participants from Cleveland were asked to take pictures of things they were proud of and things that needed to change in their household food access and environment. The following questions guided the photo discussions with each participant;
● What do you see in this photo? What is happening?
● Where was this photo taken?
● Why did you take this photo?
● What does this photo tell us about your life and life in your community?
● Why are things this way?
● Does this photo represent something you're proud of or something that needs to change? What can be done to support or change this?
‘[T]his is the juice that comes in our [food] boxes bimonthly... I’m a two-time cancer survivor, so I have to watch a lot of things that are not good for my health... seniors are grateful to get items that they can’t afford to buy, but it’s redundant that they have to eat or drink unhealthy items because they’re free.’ (F, Black)
‘They’re asking you at the checkout counter, “Paper or plastic?” What’s the point of asking that when these people probably still have the big bottles of plastic in their cart...it’s gonna continue to have a negative impact on the community because these plastic bottles are never gonna be recycled.’ (F, Black)
‘[This] is a roast that used to be maybe a $1.25 a pound just maybe five years ago, and all of these things are just adding to the reason why people have to go to the Food Bank, because they can’t afford to buy the items that they normally would be purchasing’ (F, Black)
'The lady [at the pantry] said that they didn’t have any meat, and they have additional food pantries, but it was up on [street]. So I just thought transportation would’ve been great [because] I didn’t have the bus fare... if they could’ve had bus passes at the place'’ (F, Black)
‘I love to see signs like this. It makes me happy. Healthy. I love my fruit. Fruits and vegetables are expensive, and so are canned goods, so the supplement is great...Produce is one of the best things that you could put in your body.’ (F, Black)
'[Grocery store] moved right out of the neighborhood. It was right up the street, and there wasn’t anything wrong with the grocery store. It was fresh, didn’t have rats, roaches. They just moved it, that’s all... We no longer have a grocery store. ' (F, Black)
‘The volunteers are what makes this possible. I mean the Food Bank could be there. The food could be available, but if there’s not people to help, nothing can happen... The volunteers there are great. They have great energy.’ (M, 47, Black and Polynesian)
‘The thing I’m portraying is “We Need More of This”... Just being able to have fresh fruits and vegetables is a godsend. It’s awesome. The call to action would be more of it. We need more of it, more variety.’ (M, 47, Black and Polynesian)
‘This is how dinner could look... it’s what can be prepared with food from the Food Bank. It shows how far you can go with the stuff that you get... [People need] just a little more education. It won’t take much. ‘ (M, 47, Black and Polynesian)
‘This bicycle was leaning against the wall at the food pantry... I’m proud of the resourcefulness of my community, but I also know that if you were to talk to the person who owns this bicycle, they would probably tell you they’d trade it for a car that would get them food more regularly, or better
quality food.’ (F, 54, white)
‘When I was a child, the corner store was where you went to get your milk and bread. Now the corner store is… a place where the adult goes to play their lottery, buy their cigarettes and get their alcohol... There are no grocery stores, per se, in the inner city that are accessible.’ (F, 54, white)
‘Again, this is not a place where you would feel safe... It’s an inconvenience, to be honest, because I know this grocery store is there and I know they probably have that one item that I need to finish this recipe, but instead I will literally drive 15 minutes to another store and feel safe walking in the door.’ (F, 54, white)
‘It makes me sad because the price of groceries is totally out of control, and it doesn’t have to be like that, but it’s all about greed... When I first started buying those eggs, they were $1.89, now it has progressed to $3.49.... The government is going to have to step in... We could go to Capitol Hill. I don’t know if that’ll work. ‘ (F, 55, Black)
‘This is one of the [name] Power Plants... It makes me sad and angry because there are other ways to fuel energy. They don’t need these power plants, and if you ride through there, it smells awful, and the people that live by it... it’s killing them, literally killing people' (F, 55, Black)
‘This...is a constant reminder of what’s going on in the inner city, lives lost daily due to crime... [Grocery store] used to be on [street name]... but they were stealing out of the store so much [that they moved it]... All they have is the corner store. So they’re not receiving the nutritional food that they need.' (F, 55, Black)
'Family is so important, and we may have our differences... That doesn’t have to bring separation. Our differences should bring us together, and we should be able to look at one another’s point of view... sitting at a table with food and laughter and remembering things pulls people together.' (F, 60, Black)
‘[The price] is ridiculously high and not something that we could easily afford to buy…for those who receive help from the government, SNAP benefits, you just can’t use it like that…we understand why there is so much obesity and poor health, because the unhealthy food is more attainable, much more affordable. To eat healthy, it would break me.’ (F, 60, Black)
'The thoughts that I have about this picture don't even fit my community, because it gives me warm, safe, comfortable feelings... I want it to say 'Peaceful Times'... Remember that times have not always been so hard, so bad' (F, 60, Black)