Andrea Freeman, Second Century Chair at Southwestern Law School and a recognized expert on the intersection of critical race theory, food policy, and health, has released a new book, Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch. Published by Metropolitan Books, the work examines how U.S. food law and policy have historically served political and economic agendas at the expense of marginalized communities. 

Drawing from over 15 years of research, Professor Freeman explores the deep-seated ties between the U.S. government and food industries, detailing how these alliances have contributed to racial health disparities. The book’s title references a 1779 order from George Washington to destroy the food sources of Indigenous people, an act that used food as a tool of oppression. 

“As a society, we need to separate support of agriculture from the health of people,” Freeman said in an interview with ABC News. “It’s time to get corporations out of our food law and policy.” 

Freeman’s scholarship has been featured in prominent publications including The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, USA Today, and The Atlantic. Her previous book, Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice, is currently being developed into a documentary. 

At Southwestern Law School, Freeman teaches courses on Constitutional Law and Race, Culture, and Law. She received the Fulbright King’s College London U.S. Scholar Award for her research on food inequality in the United Kingdom. Freeman is also a founding member of the Academy of Food Law and Policy and has chaired sections of the Association of American Law Schools.