Too often it seems like a conversation around food security veers away from the reality of a conversation about food justice. The episode of this series that we watched was such a thoughtful examination of the origins of one battle in the fight for food justice and really examined what is and probably should not be a radical concept: that food should not be a privilege.

This was the first statement made by panelist Ericka Huggins in this video, and a thread throughout the conversation. As a member of the Black Panther party, Huggins participated in the Free Breakfast program for young people, a program that was born out of a lack of state or federal assistance in the effort to secure nutritious food for school age children without access. The origins of the program highlight the highly racialized nature of food justice.

Panelist Devita Davison, who directs FoodLab Detroit, carried this point as well and traced the origins of food injustice through the history of this country. She quoted “if we can’t feed ourselves, we can’t free ourselves,” which I thought was such a salient point and a summary of the discussion between these panelists. Food justice comes at the hands of the community members and food security and justice is the freedom to participate in the world. For children receiving free breakfast, it is the freedom to grow and learn.

The idea that food is not a privilege should not be a radical one, but for black and brown Americans, it historically has been. The Civil Eats article discussed similar, community-based approaches to food justice. For example, changing attitudes about food assistance programs and reducing the stigma of aid can provide movement toward a more just society. Food Justice ties into so many aspects of social justice, like race and climate, and it functions as one of the most tangible issues we are facing.

The Radical Origins of Free Breakfast and the Food Justice Movement

Sarah Bowen, Annie Hardson-Moody, and Sinikka Elliott. 2020.”Want to Fight Rising Food Insecurity? Listen to People Who’ve Been Hungry.” Civil Eats.