ABSTRACT
For the last half-century, the “right to food” (RTF) has been promoted by the United Nations as a policy framework to end hunger. However, the RTF assumes that states view the entirety of their population as equally worthy and deserving. This assumption is untrue in the United States, where the state has used its power to create two food systems, separate and unequal. The chapter begins with an overview of the RTF framework followed by an examination of the United States as a white supremacist state. We illuminate how the U.S. government has used agricultural, food, and urban planning policies to deny food to communities of color. Grounded in these historical patterns, we put forward six racial equity principles that must be centralized in the fight against hunger. We then articulate how a racially sensitive RTF framework can be used to reimagine food policy inclusive of all communities. Specifically, we outline six reparative food policy goals that will significantly decrease hunger and build political power in racialized communities: (a) repairing SNAP, (b) restoring food sovereignty, (c) revitalizing grocery stores, (d) reframing restaurants, (e) reconstituting food pantries, and (f) rebuilding communication sovereignty.
