One of the pleasures of my job at Civil Eats is doing interviews with the authors of books that help shift our understanding of environmental justice issues and the food system. This month, I interviewed journalist Jori Lewis about her new book Slaves for Peanuts. We talked about how the ordinary, ubiquitous peanuts became a tool for colonial expansion in …
Magazine: On Wheels, living in an RV
The number of people living in recreational vehicles has exploded in the Portland area (and other parts of the country) in recent years, and it has stirred controversy. RV’s and motorhomes are everywhere, parked in residential and industrial areas, often in rows. This year, according to the 2017 Point-In-Time homeless count, a greater portion of unsheltered people reported sleeping in …
Magazine: Waiting in Ventimiglia
When I visited the French-Italian border on the Mediterranean coast, I was shocked by what I saw… hundreds of young boys huddled on the beach, all staring at the sea. I still remember their confused, dejected eyes. The locals told me of Frenchmen in mountain villages above Italy aiding these boys, as well as women and children – a sort …
Investigative Reporting: An escape from the Church
The man did not hesitate. He knew this single-aisle Gothic church with a slender tower. It was here he was baptized and attended mass as a child. The old priest was hearing confessions in the confessional. When he finished, the man followed him. “I know you,” the parish priest smiled benignly. At the office, he pointed to a chair, then …