Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Luis Guardia, President, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, January 16, 2023 — Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) honors minister and social activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his vision for a nation free from hunger. FRAC continues to be inspired by Dr. King’s transformational leadership on the issues of ensuring economic equality and ending racial discrimination.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s exalted “I Have a Dream” speech that was delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. A quarter of a million people rallied in Washington, D.C., calling for the eradication of segregation; fair wages; voting rights; access to education; and long-awaited civil rights laws. The march underscored the urgent action needed to address the profound harms of institutional and systemic racism.
Racial discrimination and inequities continue to fuel an unacceptable cycle of hunger and poverty in America.
Millions of families and individuals in every corner of the country are struggling to put food on the table as they face numerous challenges outside of their control, such as inadequate wages, inequitable economic growth, and a lack of other essential support systems. There is no excuse for hunger and poverty in this country when solutions exist.
The federal nutrition programs serve as effective tools to address disparities in hunger and are among our nation’s most important, proven, and cost-effective public interventions, but they alone cannot end hunger. A wide range of policies is needed to address systemic drivers of hunger and its root causes.
America has made progress over the years in addressing racial discrimination, and lifting people out of poverty and hunger, but we still have a long road ahead. We invite others to join us in honoring the legacy of Dr. King, by engaging in our mission to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of all of the people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the U.S. through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. As Dr. King once said, “Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life?”
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
