8th Annual Hunger Banquet Held in March
"The hunger banquet is an appropriate venue for people to talk about and reflect upon the stark contrast between our lives as Americans and those of others," said Ashley Butner, a second-year master's student and co-chairwoman of the School's Social Justice Caucus, which organized the event. Participants were assigned to either the highest, middle or lowest income bracket, reflecting the proportions, 15%, 30% and 55% respectively,
in each segment throughout the world. People of the highest income bracket sat at a table and were served a catered meal. People in the
middle bracket ate rice and beans with a plastic spoon while sitting on chairs, and people in the lowest bracket sat on the floor and ate
plain white rice with their fingers. "The hunger banquet is a profound experience in that participants are exposed, briefly, to the reality of the
disparity of resources," said Butner. "This allows for people to imagine what life must be like for people around the globe who experience
hunger daily due to war, famine and natural disasters." The banquet is an annual event that began in 1996. This year's guest speaker was Rania Masri, Director of the
Southern Peace Research Education at the Institute for Southern Studies. The banquet was funded through the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, James M. Johnson Center for
Undergraduate Excellence -- Intellectual Life Grants Program, SOWOSO, the Alumni Association, and Faculty donation. Harris Teeter,
Flying Burrito, 35 Chinese, Hunan Chinese Restaurant and Marcel's contributed food items. All of the banquet's proceeds are split evenly between Oxfam, an international organization devoted to
eliminating global hunger and poverty, and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle of Raleigh, which offers food recovery and job training for
food service workers.
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