HEN's Commitment to Anti-Racism

Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized lives are worthy, beloved, and vital to an equitable, loving, peaceful, and just society. The Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group unequivocally denounces the racist brutality and violence of police and others against Black/African American lives that has resulted in the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others. We also stand against the inhumane imprisonment of immigrants at our southern border and the unjust treatment of the people who grow, harvest, and process our food.

As experts in hunger and environmental nutrition, HEN members understand that we live in an unequal society where BIPOC and other marginalized groups of people are more likely to experience hunger, food insecurity, economic inequality, health disparities, and oppression - but it’s time to take our work further. We are working to address our own internal biases that affect the work we do for HEN, and we want to bring our increasing awareness to the organizational level.

The steps we are taking to improve our organization:

  • We have partnered with other DPGs and MIGs to submit a letter urging the Academy to take stronger and more meaningful steps to build a more inclusive and accessible profession to ensure that all individuals and communities can thrive.  
  • We are developing programs to expose and address racism in the food system, including partnering with the National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN) Member Interest Group.
  • We are assessing how HEN’s resources can better elevate and amplify our BIPOC members.
  • We are listening to our members and invite them to keep us accountable by sending feedback anytime.

This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a fruitful and effective dialogue among our membership and the nutrition community at large. We will continue to examine these issues and practice leadership in the area of anti-racism.  

We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice and equity across the country and around the world.