Category: Uncategorized

Rose Nyounway ’27, 3.10.25

I chose the Food, Faith, and Justice course because I wanted to explore my faith and understand the impact of social justice through an interfaith lens. Coming to Baltimore, I had high and fixed “expectations”, especially on attending a Black Church. I longed for the sense of belonging, warmth and community that I had experienced growing up in a Christian family back in West Africa. My Sunday mornings were filled with joyful chaos of preparation that led to long 3 hours service which concluded or began with me getting warm hugs and embraces from church mothers and grandmothers.

This expectation was created and affirmed after Barbara, another student who has taken this course, consistently shared with me how a hug she got at the Liberty Grace Church of God felt just like a grandmother’s hug where she got the feeling of familiarity, home, assurance and a sense of belonging. I was eager and I longed for that same experience. I imagined walking into the church and feeling instantly at home after I had gotten the hug Barbara described. But after embracing several people, I realized that I had confined myself to nostalgia, searching for something familiar instead of embracing the richness of the new experience that I was in. After a short retrospection, I let go of my expectations and opened my heart to the depth of the Black Church, without trying to see it through the lens of what I expected it to be.

Continue reading “Beyond Belonging”

Jazmin Burdette ’28, 3.9.25

During the duration of this class, I’ve learned a lot about myself, the world around me, and the world where I grew up. 

I had never really questioned where my food came from before attending Bucknell, being from California I knew it was more local than imported and that the food was almost always fresh, no matter the season. Who knew moving across the country can cause your perspective to change? This question started to be asked in my first semester of college, wherein I was in the Residential College program and I took a class called Sustainable Harvest. This class inspired me to try to pursue a minor in food systems, and it introduced me to this course. 

Read more: In Abundance, and Frequently

Food, Faith, and Justice has been one of my favorite classes at Bucknell. Although I am still a first year so there’s more time for other classes to take that place, I think it’ll be a hard class to top. It’s really made me question where food comes from, where does it go, and who benefits the most from its creation. Food has always been integral to my culture and personal beliefs, I view it as sacred and a communal activity. Eating alone is something I only do for breakfast, as I fortify myself for the day ahead. Learning about systemic racism and redlining is always troubling, as it can lead to feeling trapped in a system that’s stacked against “us” (that is, BIPOC). But I believe that learning about issues is the only way to truly understand and fix them. 

During our conversation with Pastor Brown, he dropped diamonds like the planet Neptune, in abundance and frequently. Two of the phrases that stuck with me were “Focus is fruit” and “Critique what is, create what isn’t.” I’ve recently been restructuring my focus in life and priorities, doing my best to live in a way that aligns with my faith and that will help me achieve what I’ve been called to do- medicine. I hope to create a learning environment in my community focused on the importance of nutrition and the effects it has on health and get to the root of the cause of the many health issues in America today that relate to diet. 

Virginia Hostetter ’25, 3.9.25

Early this morning, our group met Dr. Reverend Brown to help the Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN). Wearing a bright green cap that read “Support Black Farmers,” Dr. Brown welcomed us to the garden of New Creation Church. As part of Dr. Brown’s work with the BCFSN, he invited us to un-winterize and prepare this garden for seeding in April – an essential step for many of the 250 congregations in his network. His goal was to motivate us and encourage us to be a voice in this garden. His goal was to motivate us, encourage us to be present in this space, and ensure that our voices and hard work were heard.

Continue reading “How to Build a (Better) Community “

Follow along for regular reflections and updates from our Wonderful Food Faith Justice cohort as we jump into a week of intensive Community Partnership in Baltimore with our many wonderful partners including:
The Black Church Food Security Network
Temple X Academy, and Liberty Grace Church
Our Daily Bread
Strength to Love II Community Farm
The Islamic Society of Baltimore
Bread for the World
Baltimore City Food Policy & Planning
and Beth Am Synagogue

Group reflections coming soon!

This past week has been a great one, probably one that I will probably remember for the rest of my life. It was a week that consisted of fun games, raw emotions, and intimate conversations. Visiting Baltimore with a totally new group of people added an unexpected layer to the trip that helped me reground my ideals and beliefs. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to come back and be one of the TAs for the Food, Faith, and Justice in Baltimore class. I received the opportunity to connect with people from both new and familiar community organizations that are doing wonderful work to combat food insecurity in the city of Baltimore. I also received the opportunity to connect with friends and family, while developing new friendships with my peers. 

Continue reading “The Power of Interdependence – Mikey Neal ’23”

Today we traveled to Washington D.C. to speak with Rev. David Street from Bread for The World. The mission of Bread for The World is to end hunger at a national and international level through changing policies. Within the organization they adjust their focus on a yearly basis, alternating between the ending of hunger nationally and internationally. During this year the organization is focusing on one important piece of legislation at the national level known as the farm bill. 

Continue reading “Bread for the World – Rain DeLucia ’23”

Baltimore City presented a variety of possibilities on how nutritional foods can have a positive impact on the community, we are showered with wisdom and hospitality within the community of Baltimore. Individuals from outside Baltimore are given an opportunity to see a softer side of the city and not, as the story is often told in public, “Dangerous.” We were given the opportunity to feed the unfortunate and be able to make a small impact on the homeless community, expressing their drive to help even though they have so little they still try to help and be somewhat of a hand for others.

During our time serving food, I was given a chance to absorb some knowledge from a wise man who told us that “We are all the same, just because we have different skin color, religion and culture. We still bleed the same, sharing the same color of blood.” He spit out complete facts and once we can see that and learn from that, our world maybe will be a bit better.