Abstract
Since its emergence in the late 1800s, the social work profession in the United States (US) has engaged with food-related challenges, addressing systemic issues such as food safety legislation and access to nourishment. Today, social work remains pivotal in food security efforts, implementing policies through food assistance and entitlement programs. However, this work is often limited to managing episodic food crises at the individual or household level. By avoiding macro-level advocacy for systemic reform, social work inadvertently perpetuates food injustice and neglects its potential role in transforming inequitable food systems. This paper argues for a critical reexamination of social work’s historical involvement in food activism in the US, particularly given the enduring global food crisis and the exportation of Global North social work frameworks to the Global South. Using Jane Addams and the Progressive Era food crisis as exemplars, the paper explores how Addams’ advocacy for food justice can inform contemporary social work practices. Through a documentary analysis of archival materials, specifically Addams’ 1918 address to the National Conference on Social Work, this research positions her interventions as a heuristic tool for reimagining the profession’s role in food justice. Recognizing the temporal significance of Addams’ advocacy, this paper calls for social workers to adopt more progressive, macro-centered approaches that prioritize food justice. By drawing lessons from historical exemplars, the profession can better align with its ethical commitment to equity and systemic change in the face of global food challenges.
Presenters
Carla SilvaStudent, PhD, City University of New York, Graduate Center, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fed Up: Learning From the Past, Imagining New Futures
KEYWORDS
Food Justice, Social Work Advocacy, Jane Addams, Historical Heuristic, Progressive
