Events
Webinar
Beyond SNAP: Stories and Strategies for Systemic Change
May 27, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am PDT
The federal government’s decision to withhold SNAP benefits during the Fall 2025 government shutdown revealed the instability and violence of systems never designed to nourish or protect us. As millions of people were left without food support for weeks, the National Black Food & Justice Alliance (NBFJA), a coalition of over 60 Black-led organizations representing hundreds of Black urban and rural farmers, organizers, and land stewards, mobilized mutual aid resources to communities across the U.S. and released the Peoples Statement on the SNAP Halt. Although the federal shutdown ended and SNAP benefits resumed, the lessons from this moment remain critical for food sovereignty. For many organizers who work with food-insecure communities, and the farmers and land stewards this is not about returning to normal. It’s about continuing to build power that endures beyond state failure.
When our ability to eat depends on political negotiations, hunger becomes a tool of governance. Hunger IS political violence. The opportunity before us is to not only continue to demand permanent legislative action that safeguards SNAP and guarantees that, in the future, benefits continue without lapse and cover all eligible households, but also to build food and land infrastructures rooted in community control, mutual care, and self-determination. Join this session to hear from members of NBFJA as they share stories and strategies to bring about sustainable systemic changes.
Speakers
- Cicely Garrett, National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Co-Executive Director
- Duron Chavis, Happily Natural, Farmer, Founder & Director
- M. Dominique Villanueva, Fountain Heights Farms, LLC, Farmer & Executive of Vision & Strategy
- Ryan Tenney, Sankara Farms, Farmer & Co-Director
- Chris Lemons, Farmer & Founder Gratitude Botanical Farm, Director of Operations, ECO-PARADIGM, LLC
This webinar is open to all funders.
