Throughout history, oppressive systems have used faith as a foundation for their oppression. The gospel has been twisted to promulgate hate and excuse abuse.
A warped definition of Christianity has been used to defend slavery, destroy self-sustaining Black cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, enact and support Jim Crow laws and more. Oppressors have consistently dismantled Black power and prosperity.
But this is not the liberating, loving nature of God or a true example of faith to love thy neighbor as thyself. Throughout my lifelong relationship with God, one thing has been clear: Faith has space for everybody. The religion I know means a Creator who cares to see you thrive and be sustained, and who asks for that care to be replicated in every part of life.
Ending ‘food apartheid’
This call to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, as Micah 6:8 teaches, drives my work in food justice to ensure the Black church is a space where our communities can pursue liberation, equity and self-sufficiency.
As a young boy, I learned from the resilience of the church mothers and fathers who stewarded my dreams and showed me I mattered. From my college days and an internship with the juvenile court system to later work in multicultural affairs and health solutions and my current position with the Black Church Food Security Network, equity and faith have been the constant thread through my efforts to help people become self-sustaining.
The Black church has guided me on how to offer that support effectively. We must emulate its strategies as a means of addressing food insecurity and food apartheid.
Black institutions, including the Black church, are a nucleus of our communities and instrumental to our resilience when the government, corporations and white supremacists have tried to stop us. The church’s unity and sacrifice were crucial to the civil rights movement’s success; people advocated not just for themselves, but for others. They built a “we” movement. They knew their efforts wouldn’t succeed unless every corner of the ecosystem worked together and stepped in where needed.
Every time there has been a dismantling, there has been a stronger rebuilding. Today is no different.
Taking food off the table
In food security today, this rebuilding means the Black church, Black farmers, nutrition and health experts and the government collaborating to feed people. It means utilizing the land we have and sharing it with those who can make the most of it. It means advancing policies that put food on the table for people in need. It means taking responsibility for our neighbors.
Unfortunately, our government today is not holding up its end of the bargain. Instead of bringing people together for the common good, national leaders once again are twisting Christian values to dilute unity and maintain their power.
Lawmakers have cut SNAP, a federal program that provides critical nutrition assistance to children and families. The Trump administration also proposed cuts to WIC’s fruit-and-vegetable benefit, though Congress ultimately rejected those cuts and fully funded the benefit. While politicians put their names on buildings and build ballrooms, people are going hungry. Black communities remain underfunded, and the wealth disparity widens.
Systems are designed to take food out of our mouths. So the Black church must expand its role of helping communities feed themselves.
It’s what Fannie Lou Hamer taught us: Food can be weaponized when we are ensnared in a system that never saw Black people as fully human. When the government doesn’t fill the role we need, we grow our own gardens and build our own systems. We become self-sustaining.
‘A new supportive ecosystem’
We can do this with resources we already have. Churches have land, and community members are coming through our doors. They have resources and people. The opportunity is ripe. If we turn to Black farmers as partners, we can make the most of our land and build a network to grow and distribute nutritious food within our communities.
We must incorporate this into our understanding of the Black church. We are not preaching just to preach, but to offer the love, liberation and stewardship that unite and strengthen us. To build our own “we” movement, we must lift each other, feed each other and advocate for each other.
The church has shown me what it means to love all of our neighbors. If more churches lead communities to self-sufficiency, then we will see people blossom in a new, supportive ecosystem. We will see God’s care to sustain people be replicated. The Black church will nourish people physically and spiritually.
Joseph Williams is head of content for Word In Black.