Centering on Healthful Food and Wellness

Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter always knew a connection existed between food and wellness. This knowledge came from her childhood experiences with the older generation. As a child, she loved spending time with her elders. Wright-Carter knew if she wanted to be around her elders, she needed to be involved in the activities they enjoyed, which meant she spent a lot of time in gardens and on farms.

“I started growing food early on and grew to love it as well,” Wright-Carter says. “Even when I was in Cook County as a family practice resident, I was growing tomatoes on the fire escape.”

It was in her work as a physician that Wright-Carter was reassured of the food and wellness connection. She saw firsthand how access to nutrient-dense foods made a difference in her patients. Seeing her patients gain their wellbeing through healthful eating, was not only rewarding but inspiring. She wondered what would be possible if this could be done at a community level or even bigger.

“What would it be like for thousands and thousands of people to be well?” Wright-Carter muses. “It would be awesome.”

This vision along with her concern about a changing climate eventually led her and her husband, Fred Carter, to establish the Black Oaks Center in Pembroke Township. The nonprofit focuses on building resilient communities. One of the ways the center works toward its mission is through creating a diverse, local and sustainable food system. The heart of this work takes place at a 10-acre teaching farm on the 40-acre eco-campus in the historic Black farming community of Pembroke Township.

As one of the first Black women working in the intersection of holistic medicine and agriculture, Wright-Carter has overcome her share of barriers and continues to do so, albeit with a little more backing as the younger generation of women joins her.

“The greatest challenge for all of us is being able to tap into our higher level of humanity,” Wright-Carter adds.

She goes on to explain how she feels people are being programmed to be separate at a time when we need to be focused on how connected we are. This is especially important to keep top of mind as people work through the current situation of changing weather patterns and declining resources. Wright-Carter adds that it will take people from all walks of life to find answers to those challenges and that we can be purposeful in change to design future situations where people are happier and healthier.

The Black Oaks Center will begin taking applications for an apprenticeship program in April 2023. In addition, the center will host Community Learning Days throughout the season as they transform the farm “from fallow to fruitful,” as Wright-Carter says. To get involved or to learn more, visit BlackOaksCenter.org.

This content is part of the Partners 2023 Cultivating Our Communities series, a collaboration among Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association. It strives to raise awareness of Illinois’ diverse farmers, farms, and the food, feed and fuel they produce.

See more: Chicago School Gardens Leader Grows Food and More (VIDEO)