9th Annual Dallas Hunger Summit: A Virtual Success!
The annual Hunger Summit organized by the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions was virtual in Fall 2020. Traditionally an in person conference, this year’s event was a series of four consecutive weekly webinars. Coalition Chair, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, introduced each week’s topic.
Connected by the theme, “From Hunger to Health: Food Justice ≠ Just Us ”, each webinar looked at food insecurity, disparate healthy food access, and their implications for community health through an equity lens. The resounding note was “Equitable Healthy Food Access and Healthy Outcomes for All!”
Malik Yakini, Founder and Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, kicked off the webinar series by addressing the topic, “What is Food Justice, Why It Matters and How Do We Create It?” A dynamic and thought provoking speaker, he cautioned us that giving people food won’t solve food insecurity without also addressing the systemic and economic roots of the problem. Find a video recording of his remarks here.
The 2nd webinar in the series followed up the first by asking and answering the question, “What Would Food Justice Look Like in Dallas?” A panel of local change-makers shared their visions of food justice for Dallas and what they’re doing to create momentum for equitable healthy food access and healthy food options in their communities. Anga Sanders, FEED Oak Cliff; Erika Muhammad, Urban Homesteader; Ples Montgomery IV, Oak Cliff Veggie Project; and The Reverend Yvette Blair Lavallais, Food Activist, spurred the audience to join their efforts in substantial and concrete ways. Click here for the panel video.
“Post Pandemic: Rebuilding with More Equitable Food Policies” was the topic of our penultimate webinar. National and local food policy experts presented a united front on the importance of federal food and nutrition programs and policies to struggling households, not only during COVID. They urged that sustaining and strengthening them is necessary to help stabilize and support financially vulnerable households for the future. The panelists included Josh Protas, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; Jennifer Craig, Garland ISD; and Physician Hussain Lalani, MD. The video of this discussion is here.
Dr. Seema Yasmin - award winning journalist, author, poet, medical doctor and former Dallas resident – closed out the series. She currently directs the Stanford University Health Communication Initiative. In an engaging dialogue with Dr. Donald Wesson, Professor of Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine, she provided universal and specific stories and insights on “Activating Dallas for Food Justice!” Her resonating advice for improving community nutrition and health outcomes was that effective nutrition and health communication is necessary. This includes listening to and collaborating early with community members who are the “experts on their own lives”. Watch this cutting-edge conversation here.
The 9th Dallas Hunger Summit is a wrap! You can find video recordings of all of the webinars from this year’s food justice series on YouTube at Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions. Plan to join us next year in September for the 10th Dallas Hunger Summit!
~Written and contributed to the blog by Wyonella Henderson-Greene, Coalition Specialist, Texas Hunger Initiative
