Recent federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have prompted concerns among hunger-prevention advocates, who say the policy shifts could disproportionately affect Black Americans and other vulnerable populations.
Those concerns were the focus of a May 13 panel discussion convened by Word In Black, which brought together food-policy experts, scholars and faith-based organizers to discuss food access, health disparities and the policies that shape how Americans obtain food.
Hosted by Joseph Williams, Word In Black’s head of content, and sponsored by the Knight Foundation, the discussion explored what Williams described as two themes often associated with food in Black communities: joy and survival.
The panel featured Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III, founder of the Black Church Food Security Network; Ty Jones Cox, vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Dr. Ashanté Reese, author of several books, including “Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness.”
Brown said his work addressing food insecurity grew out of his experience as pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore.
“I just have never been the kind of minister who’s just concerned about the spiritual welfare of members of my church,” Brown said. “In fact, I have a more expansive view of what it means to be spiritually healthy and that includes being physically healthy and whole as well.”
Brown said the effort expanded after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray and the unrest that followed in Baltimore, when some grocery stores temporarily closed in neighborhoods where many residents already faced limited food access. The church began growing food on its property, and the effort later expanded into a national network connecting Black churches and Black farmers.
Reese said food insecurity in Black communities is shaped by multiple factors, including access, affordability and changes in the food supply.
“There are far more things that are allowed to be in our food than there were 15 years ago, 20 years ago, 40 years ago,” Reese said. “A lot of times people will say, ‘Why is this stuff now all of a sudden unhealthy? Our grandparents used to eat the same way.’ Not saying that that’s necessarily how we should eat. We might be eating the same things, but the composition of those things are not the same as they were.”
Reese also discussed broader economic and social factors that influence food access, citing the work of geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore.
Jones Cox focused on recent changes to SNAP. She said reductions in federal spending, expanded work requirements and other policy changes have resulted in fewer people receiving assistance.
“You can’t tell me that children should be working or that children are undeserving or that children are fraud,” Jones Cox said.
The panelists also discussed proposals affecting what SNAP recipients can purchase and debated how policymakers approach food and nutrition issues.
Asked about possible solutions, Brown pointed to historical examples of community-based food systems, including Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Farm Cooperative and other efforts centered on local food production.
“This system, I believe, is beyond redemption,” Brown said.
He urged greater investment in community-based food initiatives. Reese highlighted local organizing efforts and food-justice networks, while Jones Cox emphasized civic engagement and public awareness.
Word In Black Research Director Dr. Christa Mahlobo also discussed a recently completed survey that sought to gather Black Americans’ views on food access, well-being and potential solutions to food insecurity.
“Through this research we highlight that we’re not just studying what it is that folks are eating, but what food means to us in this sort of cultural, emotional, and even spiritual way,” Mahlobo said.
The discussion was part of a broader effort by Word In Black to examine how food policy, health outcomes and economic conditions intersect in Black communities.
This story originally appeared here.