This month, the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page discusses food access and insecurity in relationship with minoritized communities in Pittsburgh. The current COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized that access to food is a basic human right, not a privilege. How can we guarantee that we as a collective are working to ensure that African American individuals and communities are not left hungry?
As the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s leader, it is my duty to think deeply about equity and access to resources. As an individual, my values and lived experiences propel me to reflect on what the overview researcher, Dr. Audrey J. Murrell, says about community resiliency and capacity. Taking charge of one’s health, as indicated in this Courier page, can help to shape future avenues for ensuring food abundance and resilience. It starts now with partnership and capacity-building among city entities, universities, community organizations and individuals.
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has always been deeply committed to ending hunger and providing access to food in the region. Our Hunger Relief Services offer emergency food and a pathway to guarantee that people who cannot receive WIC benefits can still feed and protect their babies.
Healthy minds and bodies are critical. The City of Pittsburgh defines food insecurity as anytime folks do not know whether or not they have enough food to meet basic needs. Data from the City of Pittsburgh notes that 21.4% or 1 in 5 Pittsburghers are food insecure. This percentage is higher than the United States average of 12.3% and the Allegheny County average of 14%. We know that sometimes this means having to make difficult choices among buying food, paying rent, picking up a medical prescription, turning on the heat or other essential expenses.
Those choices should not have to happen. In response to COVID-19, and because many people have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, the Urban League continues to show up for those who need support the most. When our fellow neighbors cannot pay their bills, we try to help. We help those who need assistance to pay rent and security deposits. Our Housing Department continues to be a source of assistance even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is really telling about food insecurity data are the neighborhoods where disparity most exists. A food access map on the City of Pittsburgh’s website (https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/redtail/images/2325_FoodInsecurePercentage_(Multicolor).pdf) shows many of Pittsburgh’s predominantly African American neighborhoods, like the Hill District, Homewood and Larimer, range from 23-70% food insecure. In contrast, predominantly white neighborhoods, like Squirrel Hill, Greenfield and Shadyside, range from 0-22% food insecure. We know that historical and current oppressions like redlining have had grave effects on people’s health, wealth and wellness. These numbers also remind us why we have to continue to do the work that we do.
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh will continue to fight for you. One way that you can fight for yourself is to complete the 2020 Census. When you complete the census, you help your community get its fair share of federal funds for vital programs. Please—if you haven’t done so already—complete the 2020 Census by visiting https://www.2020census.gov.
Thank you, readers. On August 13th from noon to 1 p.m. Dr. Murrell and Chef Pierre Claudy, founder of the E.A.T. Initiative, Inc. and owner of Arnold’s Coffee & Tea LLC in Pittsburgh, will join readers like you in an online conversation about food insecurity and how to take action. To RSVP, head to https://bit.ly/2BGaz8o for the open to the public Lunch and Learn. The “Take Charge of Your Health” page next month will reflect on six months of COVID-19 effects in the Pittsburgh region, with particular insight into how difficult it is to disrupt systems, and what lessons we have learned from the pandemic to implement transformational change. Specifically, we will talk with researchers whose interests include categorizing how the infodemic is differentially impacting certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities. The World Health Organization defines the infodemic as the mass amounts of information about COVID-19 that makes it hard for folks to know which guidance and reports about the virus is accurate.
Take Charge, and take care.
Yours in the movement,
Esther L. Bush, President and CEO
Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
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