Student Testimonial
“In the beginning of the course, I had a disassociation with hunger and food insecurity in respect to my own community. It was something I understood, but not something I saw to be a struggle within close degrees of me. Particularly, I had an overwhelming discomfort around those that I assumed to be homeless, which stemmed from being unaware. The Hunger Banquet help put this societal issue into perspective. It was during this moment I realized that throwing food at the food insecurity problem was not necessarily going to solve the issue. Furthermore, that we needed to mobilize individuals through education and proper infrastructure to increase accessibility. Through the course and trip, I learned about the limited perspective our society has on homelessness and the food insecurity is stifling. Such a limitation and overarching stereotypes hinder the progress our society needs to make to establish change. There is an evident progression of capitalistic principles infiltrating the lens that we see people, which is leading towards the dehumanization of marginalized individuals. I cringe at comments like “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” or “just get a job” or the idea that someone did not “work hard enough” is a fulfilling generalization to justify their situation.”
Amanda Johnson
Class Taken: Hunger in NYC: Service and Leadership Needed (HNRS306E)