THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED BY ANDREA DIALECT
PHOTO CREDITS ANDREA DIALECT / GEN AI
Dinner Reservations
The pic that accompanies this draft is a photo of the second food benefit card that I found this week. So that was my cue about what was supposed to don this page.
Nov. 1st marks the spot for the food stamps shutdown – so they say. Let’s just say that I live by the ol’ “see no evil, hear no evil, speak none” directive. So people whose names start with T and their cronies, the peanut committees, governments, barely ever come across my tongue or my mind. “Watch and pray” is one of those life laws that my mama gave me that I will adhere to until I take my last gulp.
Every time you speak the names of those whose governments start with T’s and B’s and E’s and D’s, etc., you lift them up. You make them hierarchy in this world and in yours. Stop lifting them up with your mouths and regurgitating what had happened or what they say is going to happen constantly, because you galvanize it into our existence. The antidote… “God, whoever is doing such crimes to humanity, bring their plans to naught and, more importantly, return to sender.” Feel free to use the don’ts and do’s that my daddy and mama told me and showed me which work But for those who cannot fathom such thangs. Today I break silence.
There’s a quiet panic in the air right now. You can feel it creeping through the aisles of every corner. Word is spreading that the U.S. is preparing to pause or drastically cut EBT, SNAP, and food stamp benefits. Whether it’s politics, budgets, bureaucracy, or just the usual “we’ll get to it when we get to it” government shuffle, the outcome hits the same: the people suffer first. But hear me clearly. We’ve survived worse. We’ll survive this too. Why? Because we don’t run on Washington’s timeline. We run on community time, common-sense time, and survival time. This ain’t the first time the system shook, and every time it shook, we held each other steady.
Before grocery stores, before apps, before delivery trucks, we grew, we shared, we swapped, we traded. Black folks, Brown folks, Indigenous folks – we have always known how to feed a community, whether on scraps or spirit. Food sustainability ain’t new to us; it’s memory, heritage, and muscle.
So what do we do right now? We start where we’ve always started – with each other. We build micro-pantries and community cabinets, whether it’s one block, one building, one hallway, or a church basement tucked behind a door most folks don’t even notice. Everybody contributes something: canned goods, rice, beans, oats, baby food. No shame. No questions. Just community.
We learn to stretch meals again, but this time with dignity and creativity. Soups that go the distance. Stews that warm the soul. One-pot meals that carry the household. Rice-and-whatever. Cabbage-and-whoever’s-hungry. Food that lasts, food that fills, food that warms the spirit when the world outside feels cold.
We return to the earth, even if it’s just a windowsill garden with scallions, basil, or spinach growing in jars. We regrow what we can, and we teach our babies that this is survival disguised as science, disguised as hope.
We support the elders, the disabled, and the single parents. We check on people. Sometimes one phone call saves a life. One pot of food can save a household.
Most of all, we don’t panic – we prepare. Panic starves you twice: once in the body and once in the mind. But preparation? Preparation feeds generations.
Let me be clear: if SNAP stops, pauses, glitches, or gets reduced, we are not doomed. What is doomed is the belief that we can only survive if a system feeds us. We are the system. We are the providers. We are the ones who know how to turn “not enough” into “more than enough” with a pot, a prayer, and a little creativity. Even in the worst moments, our people have found a way to break bread, pass plates, and share warmth.
This is our call to action. Don’t wait for officials to tell you what they “might” do. Start preparing. Start stacking. Start planting. Start sharing. A shutdown is a moment, but we are permanent. We bend, but we don’t break. We stretch, but we don’t snap. We improvise, innovate, and survive – beautifully, boldly, loudly.
So breathe. Hold your head up. Clear the fear from your plate. Because even if the government shuts down, we still eat. We still feed each other. And we still rise.
DID YOU KNOW….
People who help others are often called altruistic, philanthropic, or humanitarian. These terms suggest a selfless concern for the well-being of others, often involving the donation of time, resources, or efforts to improve society. Other terms that may be used include helper, assistant, or benefactor.
What types of organizations help the community?
- Charitable Organizations That Relieve Poverty and Distress.
- Cultural Organization: Museums, Government Art Programs, Library Support Organizations, and Zoological Societies.
- Veterans’ Organizations.
- Religious Organizations.
- Social and Fraternal Organizations.
There are plenty of soup kitchens out there. “Bridges” is one of my favorites. At Bridges, you eat good. There is another that I like – it’s at a church in Newark, it’s off Elizabeth Avenue, and the chef that cooks for you is a Black woman. She is a soul food chef. You also eat good. When you’re in those kitchens, there’s a mixture of people – people with kids, homeless people, people with homes and jobs. People without. Men, women, kids, and families from all walks. You could be sitting next to a millionaire – you’ll never know. We all need help sometimes. But if I need something, I go and get it. Because nobody’s coming for us. I believe in God. God’s got my back. And things always work out because it has to. You have to make things right for yourself. You have to find solutions. The answers are there.
You got this. One of my case managers usta say that to me all the time, and I usta say, “What do I got?” She’d say, “You got what you need.” Now I’m telling you. Because it’s true. We have a lot of challenges in this world, but we must move on. Take every day one day at a time. Make something of yourself and don’t forget to enjoy life while you’re at it. If you need it – go get it. You got this!… Jazimine Breaker
DO YOU ANY OF OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS CONTRIBUTORS?
- IF SO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY’VE MADE THE CUT AND THEY ARE THE TALK OF LOCAL TALK THIS WEEK!
- PASS IT ON!
- LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE
