PLENARY SESSION: The Importance of the Lived Experienced Voice in Promoting Food Justice in Communities of Color

Most population strategies to improve dietary behavior have used a “one size fits all’ public health framework, which fails to account for nutrition and dietary inequities experienced by different communities, specifically communities of color. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities are more likely to experience food insecurity, higher rates of child and multigenerational poverty, higher unemployment, and lower wages, which can lead to poor health outcomes and shorter lifespans. In this presentation, Dr. Odoms-Young presented her research on the disproportionate impacts of food insecurity on low-income communities of color in the US and the importance of listening to the lived experiences of these communities to drive research and policy making. She stressed how highlighting the lived experiences of BIPOC communities can inform and improve systems, research, policies, practices, and programs, and discussed changes companies can work to employ including collaborative leadership, intentional changes in hiring patterns, and broadening sources of information. Her presentation also explored various examples of direct, structural, and cultural violence to illustrate the long-lasting impacts of racism on communities of color. Social initiatives and collaborative research that actively work to decenter whiteness and acknowledge intersectionality within food systems are the root of lasting policy and structural changes that promote health equity, food justice, and community resilience.