Combating food insecurity and creating sustenance: addressing the root causes of hunger in the US through political empowerment and public policy engagement

This commentary advocates for food assistance programmes that support political empowerment and public policy participation among those experiencing food insecurity. This change will help transform hunger programmes from stigmatising support programmes into vehicles to end hunger. Food insecurity is not an isolated phenomenon, but a symptom of historical socio-political marginality such as settler colonialism, Jim Crow segregation, racial gerrymandering, anti-immigrant policies and neoliberal cutbacks to worker's wages and union organising rights. In sum, people are hungry because they are cut out of power, and for working people to be fed feeding lines must be transformed into spaces of empowerment and public policy voice.

Automated summary

This commentary argues for food assistance programmes that promote political empowerment and participation in public policy for those facing food insecurity. This shift aims to turn hunger programmes from stigmatizing support systems into tools for ending hunger. The article highlights that food insecurity is not an isolated issue, but rather a result of historical socio-political marginalization, including colonization, racial segregation, gerrymandering, anti-immigrant policies, and cuts to workers' wages. In order for working people to have access to food, feeding lines must be transformed into spaces for empowerment and voicing public policy concerns.