I was intrigued when I saw the prompt for this essay: to write an “activist manifesto for a 17-year-old version of us; a time when we were energized and determined to make a real difference in the world.”

My own activist journey began in my youth, and while I navigate frustration and sometimes exhaustion, I’ve never lost my determination to make a difference in the world. I’m not sure I have anything close to a “manifesto,” but I’d like to use this opportunity to explain one of my core principles, then offer a few ideas that might aid you as you work towards achieving your own vision for a better world.

I believe that food is a fundamental human right. At FoodShare, the organization where I work, our goal is to inspire long-term solutions that ensure that everyone has access to affordable, fresh, nutritious food. We do this by collaborating with and taking our cue from those most affected by poverty and food insecurity—Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, People with Disabilities. 

I believe that starting from the core principle of our right to food is critical to building understanding and support for why we work the way we do. Once we’re met with agreement, we can push open the door a little wider. What kind of food do we have a right to? Surely, it’s not what has been interpreted as the right to line up each month for a food bank hamper and the bump and dent produce from the supermarket. Don’t we have a right to healthy, culturally appropriate food? Grown by agricultural workers whose own right to work in safe and just conditions have been protected? In a country which recognizes the rights of its people to an unpolluted environment with healthy air, water, and soil?