For this week’s DSI post I would like to expand on a nationwide systemic injustice that has lived on for generations and that we have all seen throughout our adolescent and highschool years. As children growing up in the United states elementary schools, middle schools, or high schools we can all remember having the choice of selecting a type of milk in the lunch line during our lunch period. We were a lot of times given the choice between regular white milk, chocolate milk, and if we were lucky a strawberry milk! But did it ever occur to us that this could be a form of systemic injustice? Particularly in minority dominant public schools? Did you know that seventy-five percent of the African-American population living in the United states are lactose intolerant?
It was brought to my attention that this fact was not widespread knowledge and although I do understand, it hurts me that it is not a known truth and I aim to bring clarity and light to the injustice. African Americans as well as many Asian American and hispanic American men and women across the U.S, for an unknown reason lack the digestive enzyme of lactate to break down the carbohydrate component in milk products called lactose. Sometimes if one isn’t intolerant to dairy products they can be what’s called a mal-digester meaning they aren’t intolerant but they simply don’t digest it our experience the same health benefits milk products entail. Given this, It comes to a great surprise to me that these products are regularly being served to children across the nation. The serving of dairy products in our school system has caused great health complications that have had lasting health effects to ones who have no choice but to ingest these products. It has now dawned on me why a great deal of my friends frequently brought their own water bottles to lunch rather than picking up milk during lunch period. How is it that no accommodations were made? And if accommodations were made, it cost extra to obtain something other than milk. Children not being provided with a free alternative is simply wrong and is clearly showing a favor to white students who don’t have the same issues as minorities. Or if it is a reason for lack of knowledge our education system must be educated to know better. People can not simply say they “didn’t know” when this has been such a clear fact amongst African-American communities for centuries. For communities of the poor this may be the only option, which is simply wrong. The children of our nation should not have to worry about finding an alternative during lunch and it is completely preposterous that schools provide little to no alternatives. American schools must take charge on this issue and create opportunities (in non-dairy alternatives) for our minorities in our society. As there are an abundance of systemic racial issues in our society today, it comes to no surprise that no action has not been taken, but identifying smaller injustices like this, and actually making change will help us move closer to a true free world free world of equality.
Throughout the semester we have studied and seen examples of systemic racism and in addition we have read stories and papers about people standing up and fighting against it. In MLK’s letter from Birmingham jail, king peacefully addressed the injustices his people, as well as well as individuals around the nation were experiencing. This was a moving letter that brought to fruition to deep systemic issues. Reading this letter made me realize that we need more people with the recognition of MLK to address systemic issues that we are experiencing today. If the people of America can little by little point out injustices, maybe we can cause change to better the world we live in.
Citations
Kloberdanz, Kristin. “Lactose Intolerance FAQ.” Consumer HealthDay, 1 Jan. 2020, consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/food-and-nutrition-21/food-and-nutrition-news-316/lactose-intolerance-faq-647337.html.
Johnson, A O, et al. “Correlation of Lactose Maldigestion, Lactose Intolerance, and Milk Intolerance.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Mar. 1993, academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/57/3/399/4715694.
Mills, Dr. Milton. “‘Dairy + Racism’ .” Youtube , Switch4Good, 15 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKzUD8eFb0E&feature=emb_logo.