February is Black History Month, and at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, we’re spotlighting pivotal Black community leaders, neighbors, and activists in the fight against hunger. Thanks to their unwavering leadership and care, the mission of food security continues to move forward.
Shirley Chislom was the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress in 1968. Inspired by the overwhelming malnutrition found in her community, Chislom played a pivotal role in the creation of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Thanks to her work, our neighbors today still receive support through this vital program.
Booker T. Whatley was a strong advocate for regenerative agriculture and is credited for founding the CSA (community-supported agriculture) model in the United States. As a professor of agriculture at Tuskegee University in Alabama, Whatley created the Clientele Membership Club, which allowed community members to pay upfront for a season of produce. This model guaranteed business for Black farmers who were consistently denied loans by the federal government. His ideas have shaped the fundamentals of localized farming to this day, as CSAs remain a powerful tool for addressing food insecurity. We honor the legacy of Booker T. Whatley as we continue to invest in community food systems and the value of local agriculture.
George Thomas “Mickey” Leland was an anti-poverty and anti-hunger activist who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979-1989. In 1984, he co-authored legislation to establish the House Select Committee on Hunger, providing for the first time a legislative avenue to prioritize hunger-related issues. As Chairman of the Committee, Leland led legislative efforts to increase access to fresh foods and expand federal food assistance programs. Thanks to his leadership, hunger awareness expanded nationally, and we continue to carry forward his mission to this day.
We are deeply inspired by the work of all three of these leaders. Thanks to them, as well as many other changemakers both past and present, we continue to build a hunger-free community, together.