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Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy: How his fight for economic justice and food security still inspires change today

January 20, 2025

“Why should there be hunger and privation in any land, in any city, at any table when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life?” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized that true equality encompassed civil rights and economic justice, including eradicating hunger and poverty. He believed that access to adequate food was a fundamental human right and an essential component of social justice. His work in this area remains deeply influential in today’s fight against hunger and poverty. 

Launched in 1960, Dr.King’s Poor People’s Campaign aimed to address economic disparities by advocating for policies that would ensure basic human rights, including access to food, housing, and employment. King planned a March on Washington for economic justice, where people from various backgrounds would demand systemic changes to end poverty in America. 

The campaign sought to hold the U.S. government accountable for failing its most vulnerable citizens. King and his supporters argued for expanded food aid programs, guaranteed minimum incomes, and comprehensive anti-poverty legislation. He saw hunger as not just a symptom of economic inequality but as a moral failing of society, a problem that needed urgent policy-driven solutions.

In his 1960 address at Spelman College, Dr. King highlighted the paradox of food surplus amid widespread hunger:

“In the United States of America, we spend almost ten billion dollars a year to store the surplus food that we have in the nation. And I say to myself as I look at these conditions, ‘I know where we can store that food free of charge, in the wrinkled stomachs of hungry men and women and children of God all over the world.” 

Poverty and hunger are forms of systemic oppression, disproportionately affecting Black communities and other marginalized groups. In his speeches and writings, Dr. King frequently highlighted the deep connections between economic justice and racial equality, stating that true freedom could not exist without economic security.

Many organizations today, such as local food banks, shelters, and the re-established Poor People’s Campaign led by Rev. William Barber II, draw direct inspiration from King’s economic justice vision. His advocacy laid the groundwork for essential food assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the National School Lunch Program, which continue to help millions of low-income families access food. 

Through the Poor People’s Campaign, Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), aimed to focus “the nation’s attention on economic inequality and poverty” (Poor People’s Campaign, 2018). After Dr.King’s death, the Poor People’s Campaign continued to work to advocate for economic and social justice. In May, 1968, multiracial groups, such as Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and White Appalachians as well as labor leaders, farmworkers, and activists alike flooded the National Mall in Washington D.C. dawning makeshift tents. Here, the activists stayed for 43 days, participating in daily marches to federal buildings to demand nationwide economic justice.

The tent city inherited the name “Resurrection City”, and was designed with functionality, community, and resistance in mind. From essential service tents such as sanitation and medical care, dining, and cultural centers, demonstrators would gather for song fests and workshops to organize methods for peaceful resistance. Resurrection City came to an end after protesters tried to negotiate for a peaceful evacuation but were removed by the police on June 24th, a day after the camp’s permit had expired. The police ended up arresting 360 protestors. 

In response to a widespread call for economic justice, the U.S. government began to launch committees like the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to address malnutrition among low-income mothers and children. That program then evolved into the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Additional food assistance programs were launched in over 100 food-insecure countries and Congress appropriated $243 million to revamp the school lunch program. 

The Resurrection City of 1968 echoes similarly to the food insecurity crisis that ticked up at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic and has followed the globe into 2025. According to a study by California State University, “In 2019, food insecurity affected 10.5% of the U.S. population, or 35.2 million people across 13.7 million households. By summer 2020 the food insecurity rate we estimated was 27.5%”, calling for widespread activism to support the people of our nation. Anti-hunger advocates helped adapt and expand SNAP outreach and enrollment efforts, pushing for SNAP emergency allotments and child nutrition waivers as additional resources for families in need and encouraged state legislators to continue accessing federal dollars for their constituents. 

“The pandemic is a “crisis-packed situation” leading to an opportunity for change, echoing the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (King Jr. 1963).

Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy goes beyond his fight for racial equality, he was also a powerful advocate for economic justice and food security. He understood that hunger was not just an individual struggle but a systemic issue requiring government action and social change. His vision continues to inspire movements today, reminding us that ending hunger is not just a policy goal but a moral imperative. By continuing his fight for economic equality, we can work toward a world where no one goes hungry due to systemic injustice.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we remember the hard work Dr. King, and the thousands of brave men and women of color who fought tirelessly for civil rights, justice, and equality. Their courage and perseverance paved the way for progress and held the government accountable for systemic injustice and for putting profits over people. 

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, consider giving back to your community through volunteering or donating. We Don’t Waste would deeply appreciate your time and support in the fight against food insecurity. Looking for more introspective ways of celebrating Martin Luther King? Read some food and racial injustice books we have listed on our socials. 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.