We believe if the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is going to achieve our Bold Goal to provide access to enough nutritious food for everyone struggling with hunger in each of the 27 counties we serve, then we must acknowledge and help to address the underlying inequalities caused by the longstanding economic and social disadvantages of systemic racism. To do that, we must educate ourselves.

In recognition of Black History Month, we want to pay tribute to the generations of Black leaders of the past and present and their central role in our country, especially when addressing food insecurity.

The cycle of food insecurity and chronic disease begins when an individual or family cannot afford enough nutritious food. Racial injustice and poverty are intertwined. According to USDA, food insecurity among Black, non-Hispanic households was more than three-times as high as food insecurity among white, non-Hispanic households nationwide in 2020.

 

We honor a few Black leaders who are making history today in the fight to end hunger locally and nationwide.

  • Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and second-largest U.S. charity according to Forbes.
  • DECA City Farms founder Hawa Lassanah, a Lancaster based artist and activist, is part of a new wave of innovative farming aimed at closing the gap on food insecurity. As well as the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust* (NEFOC LT), who are advancing land sovereignty. While the role of the agriculture economy has grown, the share of Black farmers in the United States has declined over the last century. Today, just 1.4 percent of farmers identify as Black or mixed race compared with about 14 percent 100 years ago.
  • Howard University economics professor and AFL-CIO chief economist William Spriggs has worked in government as well as outside it to promote economic policy for good jobs and good wages for all.  He served in the Labor Department in the Clinton and Obama Administrations.  Among other distinguished posts, he directed the National Urban League’s Institute for Opportunity and Equality.  He has been outspoken about the importance of addressing hunger and has pointed out that programs like unemployment insurance and food assistance are not just there for the individual but as “a safety net for the economy.”
  • Dr. Rashida Crutchfield, California State University; Long Beach professor, set forth a ground breaking research on defining a national movement to help college students dealing with homelessness and hunger. The report quickly went viral, covered by media from the Los Angeles Times to the Huffington Post; it wasn’t long before other universities launched their own studies as well.

We also want to highlight the legacy of a few Black leaders that played essential roles in fighting hunger, improving lives and strengthening communities.

  • The Honorable Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress in 1968. Paving the way for Black women in U.S. politics, Representative Chisholm (D-NY) also played an essential role in the creation of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), ensuring that low-income mothers everywhere could access free, healthy food for their young children.
  • George Washington Carver was an agricultural icon who left his mark on the industry that feeds us and became known at ‘The Plant Doctor’. He taught the world about soil health, crop rotation and the many uses of peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Resources to Honor Black History Month

  • Educate yourself on the reason we celebrate.
  • Participate on online events offered by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)
  • Learn more about the challenge’s black communities face in America.
  • Support Black owned businesses.
  • Read! books by Black authors.
  • Listen to ‘1619’, a Podcast from the New York Times on how slavery has transformed America.