
Community-Driven Approaches to Addressing Food Insecurity
Access to food is a human right,[1] yet in the United States, an estimated 13 million children may experience food insecurity in 2021,[2] which means they lack consistent access to adequate and nutritious food for a healthy, active life.[3] The nation’s history of systemic racism, including discriminatory employment and housing practices, has kept Black families from acquiring equal wealth and access to resources (e.g., grocery stores) compared to their White counterparts.[4] As a result, in 2019, Black households were almost two times more likely to experience food insecurity compared to the national average;[2] and today, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 1 in 4 Black children may be experiencing food insecurity.[2] Given the disproportionate rate of food insecurity within Black communities, improving food security is a necessary priority in addressing barriers to racial equity in the United States.
Footnotes
[1] https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet
34en.pdf
[2] https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/National%20Projections%20Brief_3.9.2021_0.pdf
[3] https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/food-insecurity
[4] Rothstein, R. (2017). The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Liveright Publishing Corporation.
[5] https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.
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[6] https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/144/11/1797/4615281
[7] https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086
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