Movement Building

Catholic priest and theologian Ángel Méndez-Montoya begins the preface of his book The Theology of Food: Eating and the Eucharist by saying “In general terms, food matters.” This doesn’t seem like it needs to be a cited statement, but citing it draws our attention to its truth: food matters. It matters because we are biological beings that must consume nutrients in order to survive, but it also matters so much more deeply than that. Throughout human history, people have gathered around the table to commemorate major events, whether in celebration or in mourning. Cultures and religious traditions around the world and throughout time have built rituals around all aspects of gathering, cooking, sharing, and eating food.

When things are hard, whether because we are physically isolated due to a pandemic, because there is an uprising happening that we want to be part of, or because of other personal or communal events, it can be easy to decide that the time and energy it requires to cook and eat delicious, nourishing food is time better spent in other ways. Finding ways to share food with others might seem insignificant in the midst of everything else we are trying to do. But “feeling good is not frivolous,” adrienne maree brown writes in her book Pleasure Activism. “It is freedom.” Taking the time to eat good food, and to share it with others, is not frivolous--it is freedom, and it is sacred work. Nourishing ourselves and each other in body and in spirit allows us to keep doing the work that must be done, no matter how long it takes. Taking spaciousness and time to breathe, to rest, to enjoy time with others is a way to slow down, to fortify ourselves for the work. Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry tells us that rest and slowing down is “a radical tool for community healing.”

We are in a historic moment right now in the United States. In addition to a global pandemic, people around the country are involved in actions and conversations about race, racial justice, and police brutality. So many have been doing this work for so long, and so many more are just getting started. We at Nourish wholeheartedly proclaim that Black lives matter, and follow the lead of Black and brown activists and organizers to do the work that must be done. We hope that our reflections here and the resources we share can help you do that work, too. We strongly believe that food is a crucial part of movement building and of sustaining the work that must be done. You may be wondering what you can do, how you can fit in with the conversations and shifts that are happening. We want to offer some thoughts, ideas, and resources about the ways that you might leverage your food, space, and money to support the movement and get involved.

Practical things you could do

When grocery stores in Minneapolis were closed after looting, the community showed up to provide groceries for families who couldn’t access stores that were farther away. Can your community offer something similar to folks around you who might need support with groceries?
A group of farmers in Oakland came together to feed protesters in early June. You might not own a farm, but maybe there are local farms in your area that could use some logistical or monetary help to make this possible for them.
Boston Food for Activists takes food donations from local restaurants and distributes them at protests, as well as to folks who are food insecure or unhoused. Can your community call Panera, Whole Foods, and other places to ask about food donations, and then coordinate the logistics of getting that food to people?
One of the grounding practices of the Sikh faith is langar, or the community kitchen, where all visitors are fed no matter who they are. The Sikh community in Queens, NYC has made and served over 145,000 free meals in the first 10 weeks of the pandemic, including for essential workers, those with food insecurity, and protesters. Your community may not have the experience or infrastructure to operate at that level, but can you draw inspiration to find ways to feed those around you? Does your church have kitchen and big pots, or a robust potluck culture that could pull together food for your community?
#SacredResistance An interfaith clergy group is compiling resources to help faith communities who are providing sanctuary to and solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters. The document they have compiled offers information and resources that are helpful in all times, as well as particular precautions in the time of COVID-19. Could your folks purchase things like granola bars and water bottles in bulk, and hand them out at protests? If your church is near a place where protests, rallies, and marches often happen, could you let people use your bathroom, set up a tent for shade, or put out pitchers of cold drinks and tables of snacks for people to help themselves?
If your community has money to spend, consider national and local initiatives that help provide food to folks with marginalized identities. The Okra Project sends Black trans chefs to the homes of Black trans folks to cook for them at no cost to them. They have started the Nina Pop and Tony McDade funds to support mental health care for Black folks of color. Local groups in your community may run food- and cooking-based programs for those with marginalized support, and can likely use your support with time, energy, and money.
Keeping dreaming about dinner church worship! We believe that creating and participating in rituals around food provides people with a foundation for nourishment and for powerful relationships that will sustain us for the long haul. Your dinner church can feed the stranger, but it can also ground your people and prepare them for this work. Having experiences of deep community gathered around food helps us all to remember that food matters and that it is crucial to the work we do and the movements we build.

Resources to inspire and motivate you

In 2016, Tricia Hersey founded The Nap Ministry, whose website proclaims “We believe rest is a form of resistance.” Follow The Nap Ministry on Instagram or Facebook for powerful reflections on rest.

You might be familiar with author, activist, and doula adrienne maree brown from her book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. Her most recent book is Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, which challenges the reader to see justice work not as a slog to get through, but a pleasurable and joyful experience. You can read a conversation with brown on the launch of Pleasure Activism in Colorlines
In 2017, chef and author Julia Turshen edited Feed the Resistance: Recipes and Ideas for Getting Involved, a collection of recipes and essays by various chefs, writers, and activists. The book is divided into three parts: “Easy Meals for Folks Who are Too Busy Resisting to Cook,” “Feeding the Masses: Food for Crowds,” and “Baked Good and Portable Snacks,” and ends with several lists, including “Twenty Places to Reach Out To,” “Ten Ways to Engage That Aren’t So Obvious,” and “Ten Things You Can Do in Less Than Ten Minutes.” The book includes essays like “Ground Rules to Organized Activism,” and recipes like The People’s Grits, inspired by the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program in the 60s and 70s. All proceeds are donated to the ACLU.
The podcast Gastropod has an episode entitled "Shared Plates: How Eating Together Makes Us Human". While the episode isn’t about movement building specifically, it does offer many good reflections about the community-building power of food throughout history and in present day