Students enrolled in Dr. Hank Delcore's ANTH 111B (Ethnographic Methods) and Dr. Dvera Saxton's ANTH 118 (Women, Biology, and Culture) courses collaborated with a group of food entrepreneurs and home cooks hailing from immigrant, refugee, and diasporic communities to create Fresno Foodways.

Fresno Foodways is an alternative, interactive, online ethnographic guide to food in Fresno.

These communities face multiple challenges, including racial prejudice and discrimination, exclusion from public investment, disproportionate attention from law enforcement, and xenophobic suspicions about crime and terrorism. African Americans, Southeast Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, Arab Americans, and others have a long history in our region, but their presence and contributions are often minimized, their labors devalued, and their lives and livelihoods routinely jeopardized.

Too often, Fresno and the Central Valley are relegated to the "worst of" lists. The Fresno Foodways project was created to challenge these broad categorizations, validating the invaluable food knowledge and cultural and economic contributions that our community, who include our neighbors and family members, bring to the table day in and day out.

Public anthropology aims to not only document the human experience, but to participate in research and action that will address inequalities and injustices in ways that are tangible and relevant to the communities we serve. Project goals are (1) to amplify the stories of marginalized groups, (2) to support their businesses by creating a website featuring rich and sensorily stimulating vignettes, (3) to train anthropology students in the methods of their discipline and in creative and career-worthy applications, and (4) to foster public engagement in social justice issues through food.

Eventually, the Anthropology Department wants to work with other agencies, organizations, and individuals in the Central Valley to expand and promote the site as a community development and tourism tool. The website is launching just in time for the arrival of over 250 visitors who will be attending the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference at the Double Tree Hotel in Downtown Fresno. Five students presented their experiences with the project at the conference on Saturday.

Join Dr. Dvera Saxton in celebrating the accomplishments of our students, food entrepreneurs, home cooks, and communities by visiting the website and eating at these establishments the next time you are hungry for something more than just food.