Marsai Martin Launches Campaign to Provide Free School Lunches for All

Black-ish actor Marsai Martin partnered with Urban School Food Alliance and Student Voices to demand free school lunches for all K-12 students. 

Marsai Martin wants to make sure no student goes hungry at school. Her national School Lunch for All campaign seeks to pressure congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure all students, not just low-income students, are eligible for free meals as part of their public education.

The initiative also aims to end the stigma and negative consequences students face when they can’t pay lunch fees. According to The Root, students with lunch debt can miss out on extracurriculars, like sports and prom. Some districts even prevent students from graduating if they owe lunch money. In a statement, Martin pointed out that students face many worries at home and in school. She believes “a healthy lunch shouldn’t be one of them.” 

To help support the initiative, Martin shared a Change.org petition on her Twitter, which has over 122k followers. The petition was written by Dwight Howard, whose six-year-old granddaughter was denied a hot lunch because she ran out of money in her account. 

Although the Howard family was able to pay the outstanding balance, many other families across the country go into debt because of school lunch policies. Martin wants to stop this humiliating practice by making lunch free for all students. The initiative would have other benefits, too, including helping local farmers sell their produce and improving student’s chances for classroom success.

With COVID-19 causing unprecedented changes for the coming school year, Martin’s initiative can help ease the minds of struggling parents and kids. To support Martin’s #SchoolLunchforAll campaign, sign the petition, donate, and share.