Eckert Lecture on Health and Inequality 

Spring 2026 Eckert Lecture featuring Dr. Hanna Garth

We were so glad to host another successful Eckert Lecture this spring. It was a wonderful turnout, and we truly appreciate everyone who came out to listen, learn, and be part of the conversation!

Eric Stokan from CS3 introduces the event at the front of a lecture room while a slide reading “Book Talk” is projected; attendees sit facing forward, listening.

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

Dr. Hanna Garth stands at a podium speaking into a microphone, with a laptop open in front of her and a Center for Social Science Scholarship banner displayed beside her.

Learn more about Dr. Hanna Garth’s research on her Princeton University biography page.

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. Dr. Garth’s book Food Justice Undone explores the stakes of social justice and the possibility of multiracial coalitions working toward a better future.

Dr. Hanna Garth presents at the front of a full lecture room while attendees sit and listen, some taking notes on laptops.

Learn more about Food Justice Undone by Dr. Hanna Garth

Thank you as well to our co-sponsors—the Center for Social Science Scholarship, the Department of American Studies, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Department of Biological Sciences—for their support. We’re especially grateful to the Center for Social Science Scholarship for their partnership and contributions throughout the process. We appreciate everyone who helped make this such a great event!


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. 

 

Support the Eckert Lecture by clicking the button below and selecting “Eckert Lecture Fund” under “Designation.”

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Our past lectures include: