Now this is truly historic.
Sometimes it feels like progress toward racial equality is happening so slowly that it’s barely perceptible, and then there are amazing days of change like today. While much more still needs to be done by the federal government to combat systemic racism in this country, the news from D.C. this morning is symbolically powerful: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is memorializing iconic civil rights leader Rosa Parks by adding her to the food pyramid.
Incredible. Progress made!
Parks is being added to the food pyramid effective immediately, so expect to start seeing her picture alongside the eggs and sprigs of wheat on the USDA’s website, nutrition brochures, and the walls of school cafeterias nationwide. The fact that African-American children can now see Rosa Parks and be reminded of her brave struggle for civil rights every time they look to see how much fish they should be eating per day is truly something to celebrate.
The USDA announced the awesome change to the food pyramid earlier this week in a press release:
“The USDA has chosen to honor the first lady of civil rights, Rosa Parks, by adding her to the food pyramid. Rosa’s steadfast refusal to give up her seat on the bus was just one of many actions she took during her lifetime to advance the rights of African Americans and all Americans. The food pyramid is all about making smart choices, and we at the USDA feel that fighting for freedom and equality is the smartest choice of all.”
The inclusion of the civil rights leader on the ubiquitous dietary recommendation graph has been met with massive applause from the public.
Wonderful! It’s too bad this didn’t happen while she was still alive so she could see herself on the food pyramid, but as Rosa Parks knew all too well, sometimes progress takes time. We may have a long way to go to achieving her vision for equality, but today, we can all be proud to be Americans.
