“Hunger is a Political Condition”

Last night I had the chance to attend an advance screening of “A Place at the Table,” a new documentary about hunger in America. Drawing upon the perspectives and experiences of families struggling with hunger around the country, the film takes a critical look at the agricultural policies and political failings that have contributed to insufficient levels of public benefits, a preference for charity organizations over government programs, and a significant increase in childhood obesity rates. With WIC (a nutrition program that serves women, infants and children) on the chopping block as part of the looming sequester and SNAP under threat in the ongoing Farm Bill debate, “A Place at the Table” is an important call to action to preserve and strengthen our nutrition assistance programs.

One of the most powerful stories in the film comes from Barbie Izquierdo, a single mother in Philadelphia raising her two (adorable) young children. At the beginning of the film she describes her college aspirations, but notes the difficulty of making ends meet while pursuing higher education, particularly since many public benefits programs provide few opportunities for participants to receive training or education while remaining eligible for assistance. As Barbie puts it, even if it would help her career prospects, she can’t pursue a degree and simply tell her children, “I’ll make sure you eat in two years.”

In one of the film’s most poignant moments, Barbie is preparing dinner with her kids. Her son begs to be able to help, so she hands him a fistful of spaghetti to drop into the pot. When he lets ago, about half the pasta falls onto the floor, prompting Barbie to murmur with a slight smile, “Well, that wasn’t a good idea,” garnering one of the few audience laughs. It felt like this relatively mundane moment of motherhood resonated with the crowd due to its familiarity—but also struck a much deeper chord as viewers recognized the gravity of such an innocent spill in a household coping daily with hunger.

Also in this scene, Barbie describes the difficulty of remaining eligible for benefits, noting that you’re either “starving or you get no help.” Her monthly SNAP benefits, like those of many families, typically last her just three weeks—and when she gets a job as a SNAP outreach counselor, they disappear entirely, along with her WIC, subsidized child care, and her children’s free school meals. Barbie’s situation speaks to one of our core critiques about the current public benefits system—namely, that many programs require families to hit “rock bottom” before accessing assistance, and then fail to allow them sufficient time to get back on their feet and build up some resources before cutting them off. Policies like asset tests, which can eliminate eligibility for TANF if a family saves up as little as $1000, perpetuate this cycle and make it increasingly difficult for families like Barbie’s to transition permanently from public assistance to financial security. The safety net should not only catch people when they fall – it should help them bounce back up.

“A Place at the Table” explores many of the structural causes of hunger in the United States, often illustrated by striking visualizations of our skewed political priorities when it comes to food and agriculture. The film benefits from the insightful commentary of major figures in the hunger and food justice movement, including Raj Patel, Janet Poppendieck, and Rep. James McGovern, who prefaced the screening with the statement serving as the title of this post. Still, it is the stories and experiences of the families in the film that leave the most lasting impression.

“A Place at the Table” premieres March 1^st, though if you’re in the NYC area, you can check out another pre-screening at New America’s New York space on February 25^th. Click here to check out the trailer, and here to view the work of Barbie Izquierdo and other Witnesses to Hunger.