Existing comment:
1930s-1950s
Most of the federal food policies that we know today -- from food stamps to farm subsidies -- were created in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. America's food system almost collapsed during the Great Depression. In the face of drought and rising hunger, the federal government stepped in to keep farms running and stomachs full.
But everyone did not benefit equally from the policies and programs of this "New Deal." Black farmers and farmworkers were often denied access to government farm aid. Meanwhile, millions of struggling Black families were written out of new federal welfare programs like food stamps. |