Hampshire County
Community Story Archive
Sharing Stories, Creating Change
KAMAYUE
Kamayue grew up in Dorchester and lived there for most of his life before moving to Northampton during the pandemic. He’s an artist, poet and professional chef. He’s worked with community organizations and businesses that are improving access to healthy food for all. He has seen major improvements in his health using food as medicine and by having access to more fresh, local food.
"I would just like the whole concept [of] food to be changed for people so they could understand that there's a better way of eating and thinking...a healthy diet supports a healthy thinking and a healthy lifestyle…. I want food education for the inner city to catch up to the times [and] for people to understand that nutrition is a big part of lifestyle and a big part of a healthy living system."
Check out some interview excerpts below:
"I would like to see people in the inner city, particularly Black and brown people, learning how to be more self sufficient, growing and maintaining their own food sources. I would like them to learn how to eat a healthier diet. Also I’d like to see them to learn how to pickle and preserve. I would like there to be more inner city gardens, and farming… I would like the schools to be able to teach kids better nutrition."
"I try to treat food like medicine and eat what's going to be the most beneficial for me… Some days are better than others… I'm a beet fanatic. I love beets. I love granola. I love the benefits of fresh produce."
"There were lockdowns, and we saw things like in Italy… [where] people were coming out on their porches and they were singing to one another…kind of beautiful. The world [was] finally coming together - just one thing that's affecting everybody. Even though it was sad because people were passing away, I had always wondered, what would it be, what would it take for everybody to feel the same thing at once? What would it [take] to bring everybody together?"