This Black History Month, we are highlighting three extraordinary leaders whose work advanced economic justice and expanded access to basic needs for children and families across the United States. Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mickey Leland each left a lasting legacy rooted in the belief that children cannot thrive without food, housing stability, and opportunity.
We honor the path they paved not just this month, but every day.
Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968, was a bold advocate for children and families experiencing poverty. During her seven terms in Congress, Chisholm served on the House Education and Labor Committee, where she championed expanded funding for early childhood education, school nutrition programs, and income supports.
Chisholm was a strong supporter of federal food assistance programs, including what would become the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), established in 1972.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Dr. King, who is widely known for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, spent his final years deeply focused on economic justice. In 1968, he launched the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement aimed at confronting systemic poverty in America. The campaign called for living wages, access to decent housing, expanded anti-poverty programs, and federal action to address hunger.
Dr. King spoke openly about the urgency of ensuring that children and families had their basic needs met. He recognized that racial equality could not be fully realized without economic stability.
Mickey Leland (1944-1989)
Congressman George “Mickey” Leland of Texas devoted his career to fighting hunger and served on the House Select Committee on Hunger, becoming one of the nation’s leading voices on food insecurity. Leland championed the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act that strengthened the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Leland’s leadership underscored a simple but powerful principle: no child should go hungry in a nation with the resources to prevent it.
Happy Black History Month, and may the fight to end hunger and homelessness for children continue until every child has the resources they need.
Bellevue LifeSpring reaffirms our commitment to building a more equitable Bellevue community where the basic needs of all children are met so they can focus in the classroom, succeed in their education, and thrive.
