Food Insecurity is a Social Justice Issue

Food justice is the right to have healthy food available for everyone, independent of their skin color, independent of their income, independent of where they live. Everyone needs to have access to the basic food that is required to keep them healthy. But do they? Nourishing food is critical to a person’s mental, emotional and physical development. When a person does not have access to healthy food they can feel ashamed, alienated, undervalued and overall deficient from vital nutrients. Is there a correlation between food insecurity, race and socioeconomic status? The relationship between race/ethnicity and food insecurity is complex and is clearly intertwined with other established determinants of food insecurity including poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and disability. Moreover, the concentration of social and economic disadvantage among people of color over the life course is clearly a significant driver of higher rates of food insecurity.

To address persistent racial disparities in food insecurity, food security advocates and researchers need to address the legacy of racial, ethnic, and class inequality. These efforts will likely pave the way for the emergence of policy and programmatic strategies that promote equity in food access and health. 

I propose a support campaign in solidarity with local communities who directly suffer from food insecurity. Create more green spaces to disrupt inequities. Expand science curriculums to include sustainable gardens and teach hands-on food science. Establish a united front that ignites and inspires the hopes to develop a collective and an inclusive dialogue, one that engages the very people we seek to advocate for. Working from all angles an inclusive dialogue will be made up of community stakeholders, local farmers, food chain owners, schools, municipalities and the community youth population. Food disparity is a variation of structural injustice. However, reimagining the path of food security in marginalized communities will lead to new employment opportunities and healthier populations for generations to come. 
 