Hunger is a Racial Equity Issue: Why That Matters, and What We Can Do About It
Join us for the second installment of our Conversations on Food Justice Series – a collaboration with Food & Society at the Aspen Institute and Share Our Strength. During this live, one-hour moderated session, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Dr. John B. King Jr., the president and CEO of the Education Trust, and former Congresswoman Donna Edwards will discuss social safety net programs like SNAP and WIC and examine the perceptions, policies, and practices that keep people hungry and poor. The conversation will also explore how communities, activists, and nonprofits can join forces to reimagine an economy that nourishes all people, developing real strategies for moving anti-hunger and anti-poverty work forward. Registration is free and open to the public.
Speaker bios:
Donna F. Edwards served five terms in the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first African American woman to represent Maryland. In Congress, Edwards served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where she was the lead Democrat on the Subcommittee on Space, the Committee on Standards and Official Conduct, and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Congresswoman Edwards was co-chair of the House Democrat’s Steering and Policy Committee and co-chair of the bi-partisan Women’s Caucus.
Congresswoman Edwards provides political commentary in print, electronic and cable media and serves as the Senior Advisor to the Bauman Foundation. Edwards is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and NBC/MSNBC political contributor. She earned her J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law and her B.A. from Wake Forest University. She is the mother of one adult son.
John B. King Jr. is the president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close educational opportunity and achievement gaps. King served as U.S. Secretary of Education in the Obama administration. Prior to that role, King carried out the duties of Deputy Secretary, overseeing policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, innovation, and agency operations. King joined the department following his post as New York State Education Commissioner. King began his career as a high school social studies teacher and middle school principal.
Chellie Pingree represents Maine’s 1st District and is a national leader in food policy. She started her career as an organic farmer in the 1970s and has been engaged in food system reform ever since. In Congress, Chellie is an advocate for reforming federal policy to support the diverse range of American agriculture-including sustainable, organic, and locally focused farming. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, food policy reform continues as her top priority. Due to her leadership, the 2018 Farm Bill more than doubled funding for organic research, created the first federal produce prescription program, and established the first federal local food program with permanent funding. Chellie is focused on the intersection of climate change and agriculture with the introduction of the Agriculture Resilience Act, comprehensive legislation highlighting opportunities for farmers to be an integral part of the climate solution.