Eckert Lecture on Health and Inequality 

Join us on April 20, 2026, 4:00 PM, AOK Library Gallery

Spring 2026 Guest Speaker

Portrait of Hanna Garth, assistant professor of anthropology.Photo provided by speaker.

Hanna Garth, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Princeton University

Food Justice Undone: Lessons for Building a Better Movement

Food justice activists have worked to increase access to healthy food in low-income communities of color across the United States. Yet despite their best intentions, they often perpetuate food access inequalities and racial stereotypes. Hanna Garth shows how the movement has been affected by misconceptions and assumptions about residents, as well as by unclear definitions of justice and what it means to be healthy. Focusing on broad structures and microlevel processes, Garth reveals how power dynamics shape social justice movements in particular ways.

Drawing on twelve years of ethnographic research, Garth examines what motivates people from more affluent, majority-white areas of the city to intervene in South Central Los Angeles. She argues that the concepts of “food justice” and “healthy food” operate as racially coded language, reinforcing the idea that health problems in low-income Black and Brown communities can be solved through individual behavior rather than structural change. Food Justice Undone explores the stakes of social justice and the possibility of multiracial coalitions working toward a better future.

Hosted by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health, and co-sponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University’s nondiscrimination policy.


The Eckert Lecture on Health and Inequality is an annual event dedicated to advancing scholarship on pressing health issues with a focus on promoting health equity across diverse societies. Named in honor of J. Kevin Eckert, a distinguished faculty member who dedicated 35 years to research, teaching, and leadership at UMBC, the lecture reflects his lifelong commitment to improving health outcomes through interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. Dr. Eckert’s pioneering work in aging studies and public health—alongside his leadership in shaping UMBC’s academic landscape—continues to inspire scholars and practitioners alike. By supporting the Eckert Lecture, donors contribute to a lasting legacy of research and dialogue aimed at addressing health disparities and fostering meaningful change. 

 

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