At WhyHunger we know it’s important to stay critically informed on the issues related to hunger and poverty, while also uplifting the voices, stories and successes of grassroots food justice advocates. So, every couple of weeks we’ll be sharing a compilation of articles that highlight the intersections of racial, social and environmental justice to spur conversations and keep you up-to-date with relevant news.
Below are some of our staff picks. Happy reading!
Article Round-Up:
- Huffington Post: “How Welfare’s Work Requirements Can Deepen and Prolong Poverty”
People who are eligible for a federal, time-limited welfare program for very low-income families must be working or looking for work, a feature the Trump administration and other politicians want to spread to Medicaid and other similar programs that support low-income Americans. But do “work requirements” actually work? Read on to learn about Rose’s story and how the latest research shows that these requirements often do more harm than good!
- Mother Jones: “Simply Drinking Water Shouldn’t Be This Dangerous”
Learn what Flint, MI and Pittsburgh, PA have in common when it comes to tainted water and public health, as a Pittsburgh report surfaces that criticizes the health department for downplaying the extent of lead exposure in the area and issuing “misleading” statements to the public.
- Vox: “No, Poor People Don’t Eat More Junk Food Than Everyone Else”
New data debunks the assumption that low-income individuals eat more fast, unhealthy food than other socioeconomic groups. Turns out the guilty pleasure of fast food is shared across the income spectrum, from rich to poor. Read on to see the research and some solutions.
- Yes! Magazine: “How to Help 55 Million People Out of Food Deserts”
Check out this analysis of so-called “food desserts” in the U.S. and the organizations – like WhyHunger’s partner Growing Home in Chicago – who are creating local solutions.
- Common Dreams: “Keystone XL Foes Vow to Put Their Bodies On the Line to Protect the Planet”
As Nebraska’s Keystone XL pipeline hearings ended earlier this month, Indigenous tribes and environmentalists promised to put their “bodies on the line” to halt what they describe as a “disaster for people, wildlife, and the planet.” Read on to learn about the decision the Nebraska Public Service Commission faces and what is on the line.
- Guardian: “How the Wealth Gap Between Restaurant Goers and Those Serving Them is Widening”
In many communities across the U.S. the manufacturing economy is being replaced by service work – especially food service with its low-paying wages and irregular hours. Read on to hear the stories of workers who are caught in the middle of the widening wealth gap between folks eating at restaurants and those serving them.
- Civil Eats: “A Fresh Idea to Improve Food Access”
Can a mobile supermarket end hunger? Dig into this national trend and learn about one model program in Boston that offers fresh produce, veggie Rx and more.
- Huffington Post: “Death in the Streets and the Fields: The Privilege, Promises and Violence of White Supremacy”
New article by WhyHunger ally Food First explains how the deadly attack in Charlottesville and the death of farmworker H. Silva Ibarra in Washington State are rooted in the same system of white supremacy. “The rise of white supremacist violence and the toxic constellation of power in the White House should alarm everyone who believes in democracy, human rights and their own security.”
