Being floor-bound for a meal while others dine at an elegant table is an unforgettable experience for many. At this year’s Hunger Banquet, individuals participated in this scenario, used in previous years, with some new adjustments.
The Food Justice Committee, a subgroup of the Social Justice Program, was in charge of organizing the Hunger Banquet. The banquet is the committee’s largest event and is held in an effort to raise awareness about global and local hunger and food justice issues, according to social studies teacher Roger Grande, the Social Justice Program’s adviser. Admissions was one can of non-perishable food. Proceeds from the food drive went to the Brookline Food Pantry.
Students and parents at the banquet received an identity which determined whether they were in a low-, middle- or high-income group. People could buy, based on their group’s budget, from the assortment of food, all of which was donated by local businesses. The high income group was waited on and ate at a dressed-up dining table while the low income group was the last to get food and had to eat on the floor.
“Most people in Brookline don’t know what it’s like to go to a meal and not be able to eat everything they want,” said junior Alec Brown, a member of the Food Justice Committee. “They’ll be like, ‘Oh wait, some people can’t eat and have access to whatever they want.’ ”
According to Grande, the club has made improvements to this year’s banquet in hopes that it will raise greater awareness. For instance, in previous years, the respective income groups did not converse.
“It was meant to get people to sort of feel the inequalities,” said Grande. “But what was missing was the interactive component. We want people to have more of a chance to talk to each other and to problem-solve.”
At this year’s banquet, participants from each of the assigned income groups convened to discuss hypothetical questions on world food justice and security issues. Topics included how pesticides and climate change can affect food production.
“They’re not meant to be simple answers,” said Grande. “Hopefully, people will get more interested, get more engaged, and it will lead them to engender a bigger vision around food as a justice issue.”
According to Brown, in previous years, students were given scripts with the scenarios and would have a predetermined standpoint to take. Rather, this year’s banquet allowed participants to make up their own minds.
“We felt it would keep people’s attention better and galvanize them towards the issues better if they had a standpoint and opinion that would stick with them,” Brown said.
The club’s instincts proved true as both parents and students were engaged with the discussions.
Sophomore Micah Katz-Zeiger said he learned a lot about genetically modified seeds and the pros and cons to having them. The banquet’s inequality scenario, in particular, affected him.
“It made me a little bit uncomfortable to be sitting at the tables and having whatever I want while everyone else was sort of struggling to get their food,” said Katz-Zeiger, who was assigned to the high-income group. “It felt weird.”
Freshman Ezra Rosenberg, who was in the low-income group, also thought the scenario played its part.
“I was looking at my friends in the high class group and I wanted their food. So it was upsetting,” said Rosenberg. “On the larger scale, I think it would be much worse if I was in Africa and I asked, ‘Can I get some food?’ and they said no. I liked the idea that it was a metaphor.”
In the end, though, there was a lot of leftover food, and everyone was able to eat as much as they wanted.
Although some participants said they originally came because of the free food, the banquet was a positive learning experience for students like Rosenberg.
“Hunger is more prominent than I thought it was. It’s a lot closer to home,” said Rosenberg.
The turnout at this year’s banquet fell a bit short in comparison to past years, ranging from about 50 to 60 people rather than the 100-plus of previous years. Nevertheless, juniors Ariel Robinson and Justin Blocher, members of the Food Justice Committee, felt that the event was an overall success despite a few disruptions from a small group of students.
Robinson and Blocher agreed that the discussions, which took extensive research from the club members to prepare, were definitely the high point of the night.
Along with the improvements to the banquet, the overall goals of the Food Justice Committee have also progressed this year, according to Grande.
“We are having a much broader vision around food justice now,” said Grande. “We are going to be pulling people from the community, looking for community resources: gardeners and farmers who can join us and train us. I think it’s more about getting passion for some aspects.”
Alex Johnson can be contacted at [email protected].
