In Newark, the Healing Power of Food and Community

In Newark, the smell of bubbling tomatoes, beans, and spices set the stage for more than a cooking demo — it marked a moment of racial healing. At the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), local chefs, health leaders, and community advocates gathered this summer to confront food insecurity and the inequities that keep families from accessing healthy meals.

The program, Nourishing Communities, Confronting Food Insecurity Together, closed NJPAC’s Standing in Solidarity 2024–25 season. The social justice initiative is built on dialogue, art, and shared experiences. By combining food, conversation, and resources, the gathering reflected a vision of racial healing: creating spaces where people name the wounds of injustice, share lived experiences, and work together to build healthier, mor