As we’ve stopped over recent days to mourn the appalling death of George Floyd and too many others, to listen, and to question the institutional injustices against people of color, we are reminded that the inequities in our society are pervasive. Food insecurity, the lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, was 8% nationally in 2018 for white, non-Hispanic households, 16% for Hispanic households, and 21% for Black households. In Indianapolis, people of color are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as white, non-Hispanics, while in Indiana and elsewhere, these same groups are disproportionately suffering from the physical and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To create lasting change, we cannot address food insecurity in a vacuum. We must recognize its causes and support and engage in the work of allies throughout our community to address equality of opportunity, education, housing, technology access, mass incarceration, and so many other issues that keep a disproportionate number of people of color in poverty.
We also recognize that despite the diverse composition of Second Helpings Culinary Job Training graduates and hospitality workers overall, people of color are greatly underrepresented among local chefs. Second Helpings can and should be a stronger advocate for diversity and opportunity within the industry. Moving forward, we are committed to expanding resources for graduates to help them advance in their careers and to aid those pursuing entrepreneurship in developing paths for success. We also know we have more work to do in listening and promoting the work of chefs from diverse backgrounds and minority-owned businesses in our community.
As Second Helpings looks toward the future, we will find that we have both new challenges and new alliances in addressing hunger and poverty in our community. We hope that we will emerge better informed and with a greater commitment to building food security and opportunity for all people, especially those who have been left behind far too long.