It’s Book Club time again! The university and the alumni association are once again sponsoring an opportunity for alumni to read the same book as the incoming freshmen are required to read, and then to participate in discussions with students which foster interaction, for the purpose of engaging students with alumni.
The book for the 2015-2016 year is The Good Food Revolution by Will Allen. The son of a sharecropper, Will Allen had no intention of ever becoming a farmer himself. But after years in professional basketball and as an executive for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Procter & Gamble, he cashed in his retirement fund for a two-acre plot just outside Milwaukee’s largest public
housing project. The area was a food desert with only convenience stores and fast-food restaurants to serve the needs of locals. Despite financial challenges and daunting odds, Allen built the country’s preeminent urban farm, now a food and educational center that produces enough produce and fish year-round to feed thousands. Employing young people from the neighboring housing project and community, Growing Power shows how local food systems can help troubled youths, dismantle racism, create jobs, bring urban and rural communities closer together, and improve public health. Today, Allen’s organization helps develop community food systems across the country. An ecoclassic in the making, The Good Food Revolution is the story of Will’s personal journey, the lives he has touched, and a grassroots movement that is changing the way our nation eats.
The university has provided us with copies for our members who want to commit to reading it and participating with the student discussions this Fall. If you want to participate, please notify Jessica Kohlschmidt ASAP at osustatalum09@yahoo.com or 614-946-2614. Jessica is organizing a discussion group with students on Monday, October 5, at 6 pm in the Baker Hall East Rec Room.