I have been wrangling with this essay in my head for months, as I’ve struggled to find the right words to respond to a question that just won’t go away. The stubborn question: In this day, when an African-American can be elected twice to the highest office in the land, is there still such a thing as white privilege? When we can point out so many black Americans among the most wealthy and powerful in media, entertainment and sports, isn’t that proof that the nation has evolved beyond its racist past?

I finally started writing down some thoughts last week and now can’t locate them, which is probably a good thing. This question is so vast and unwieldy, rooted in centuries of slave-trading and terrorism, naked violence and hidden theft, that I couldn’t manage to wrangle these thoughts into concise cohesion.

So I’ll just write about me. Or rather, about my 9 year old son. Or more precisely, about the ways I don’t have to worry, because he and I are white, and privileged.

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Everyone seems to have an interest in food policy these days, from the Gates Foundation with its ‘Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa,’ to the G8 with its ‘New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition,’ to social movements, civil society networks, and those who simply care about what they eat. Of course, some voices are more powerful than others. This was particularly apparent during a visit to Tanzania this past March. The purpose of my visit was to learn about SAGCOT, the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania. SAGCOT is part of a growing trend of ‘agricultural growth corridors’ in Africa, crafted by powerful global actors with the intention of speeding up private investment in agriculture across the continent. Given the vast geographic areas that they cover, the current and potential impacts of these corridors are major. SAGCOT, for instance, extends across the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, from the port of Dar es Salaam to the borders of Zambia and Malawi, with a total area of approximately one-third of mainland Tanzania.

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KIDS Can Make a Difference operated as a vital part of WhyHunger’s programmatic work for seventeen years. I fondly remember the early days when Jane and Larry Levine were active board members of WhyHunger and the idea for their initiative to engage kids in not just learning about the root causes of hunger and poverty, but actively working on solutions, was born.

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“In all, I think that the pantry was a great resource for people who could not meet all of their needs. It did not limit guests based on their incomes. Instead, it allowed for those in need to get assistance without going through the hassles of paperwork and “proof” of things that other government-funded programs required. I think the fact that the pantry had a consistent volunteer base said something in itself. Overall, I learned a lot from my experiences at the pantry. I would recommend this pantry to anyone in need of food or volunteer work.” (Becky)

What happens when preservice teachers like Becky (all names are pseudonyms) volunteer at a local food pantry after studying the issue of poverty and hunger in our social studies methods course?
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