Johnson

Alex Johnson
Josh Allenson
EXP 1100.01
16 August 2013
Overcoming Obstacles In Building Relations With Others (4)
The Good Food Revolution is a book written by Will Allen, in which he tells about his
many experiences along his life journey, detailing his humble beginnings as the son of
sharecroppers, all the way to becoming a professional basketball player, executive for Kentucky
Fried Chicken and Procter & Gamble, farmer, and creator of a non profit organization with a
global reach. It is clear that Will has had a successful life, overcoming struggles with poverty and
racism, to learning how to interact with different types of people, he has faced and overcame
much adversity in his life. Much of this is due to the positive lessons that his parents taught him
growing up, especially their thoughts on race and diversity. Will says that his parents: ...never
talked negatively about people of different cultures or races, and that attitude was passed down to
all of their children. (Allen 81). It was this kind of cultural instruction that allowed Will to so
successfully interact with others through out his life, and allow diversity to triumph. Will also
displays an excellent knowledge of cultural competence. He is able to interact effectively with
people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, and these interactions are
documented often in The Good Food Revolution. In my own life, much of what will talks about
and experiences can be applied, especially during college. I will approach meeting, interacting and
sharing ideas with others from backgrounds different from my own in the following ways: with
understanding, and respect.

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In order to better know new peoples, I must first understand their backgrounds and
history, and most often, the injustices they have faced, especially racism. One of Will's interactions
with cultural competence occurs when he overhears racism occurring, yet strives above it, by not
letting offensive words and actions get to him, and continues to work providing services for
people that discriminated against him: DeShell also heard complaints about me in the store.
During the first year, more members of the local community began visiting the market for the first
time. Many of the older residents expressed their appreciation to me. They said they were happy
to have access to foods they had known as children in the South: butter beans, okra, and corn.
Some of the residents, though, walked in and walked out without buying anything. They voiced
complaints to DeShell: How can a black man be selling food at these prices? These prices are why
I dont eat this food. This is why we go to the white person. I was also working with many white
farmers, which led to resentment: He is a black man, and he should employ only black people. I
thought these accusations werent fair. My prices were the same as those at a typical Milwaukee
supermarket. (Allen 52). Even when institutionalized racism happened to him from a fellow
black, he continued to work: During my years selling my produce at other farmers markets, I
sometimes saw black customers go to a white farmer in the stall next to me, even though I knew
my produce looked better and cost the same. This was not typical, but it happened. I felt it was
the result of internal racism. People had become so accustomed to thinking of the white man as
superior, it was a mind-set they hadnt been able to shake. It was as if they didnt want to see me
get a big head. (Allen 52). As a disenfranchised minority, Will is aware of discrimination that
occurs to him. But he strives above it, and goes so far as holding back his true feelings, and
politely continues to interact with the very people who discriminated against him. Such a positive
reaction to those unjust grievances could only occur from someone enlightened in the ways of

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cultural competence. It is moments like these that truly show how much of a gentleman Will Allen
is, and how much we can learn from him. As a privileged white male, such knowledge is
paramount in order to better meet and intact with those from diverse backgrounds.
Another way I will approach meeting, interacting and sharing ideas with others from
backgrounds different from my own is with respect. Knowing is only half the battle. In order to
successfully work with others, one must simply go above and beyond just knowing about their
histories. You must embrace it, and revere the fact that some have come from extreme strife and
will continue to face it. Will has a moment like this when he learns about some of the oppression
against other marginalized groups: One day, Kenny pulled me aside after school and told me he
wanted to tell me something. Im Jewish, he said. He had a look of shame on his face. What
does that mean? I asked him. Kenny explained it was a religion and a type of person. He said that
in Bethesda, his family had been ridiculed. They had moved to Rockville and changed their names
so that people wouldnt know their origins. I told him it was no big deal to me, and that he
shouldnt worry. Only later in life would I understand the discrimination against Jews and how he
must have felt. It never seemed to occur to Kenny that I was any different from him by being
black. (Allen 81). Situations like this show that we cannot assume we know people's history.
But, once we take time to educate ourselves, we can better accommodate them. And once we
start respecting one another and our differences, we can peacefully coexist, a hope briefly
showcased in the following section: In the evening after we had finished our work, we held a
potluck dinner on the site, where both black and white people ate together. Two of the folks were
musiciansan African American singer and young white man who played the banjoand they
played for us during the sunset, as we ate okra and salad. Toward the end of the evening, the
singer paused and told us: Look, I rarely sing this song. He began to sing the national anthem.

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We all stood up, and many of us put our hands on our hearts. I looked over at Jerry Kaufman,
whose brother had fought for civil rights, and I saw tears in his eyes. We all started singing,
Jerry remembered, minorities and whites together. There was this glorious sense of communal
victory. (Allen 227). Such a beautiful scene inspires me to work towards meeting, interacting
and sharing ideas with others from diverse backgrounds different from my own with
understanding, and respect, because events similar to the previous are attainable for all, we just
need to work together. A relationship takes 2 persons, and I look forward towards making many
with people from diverse background during my first semester of college.

Works Cited:
Allen, Will, and Charles Wilson. The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and
Communities. New York, NY: Gotham, 2012. Print.