Night at Emerson Paramount: Kristina Wong’s #FoodBankInfluencer Shines a Light on Food Injustice
- Victoria Fabbo
- Oct 9
- 2 min read
By Victoria Fabbo
With humor as her entry point and justice as her destination, performance artist and activist Kristina Wong delivered a sharp, insightful, and emotionally resonant performance of #FoodBankInfluencer. Blending storytelling, education, and song, Wong exposed the cracks in America’s food system — and called for radical change.Behind the bright stage presence and catchy singalongs was a serious message:food insecurity is not just about hunger — it’s about power, access, and policy.
A History of Hunger, A Future at Risk
Wong began with a dive into the history of STAMPs, the early food assistance program that eventually became SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Initially designed to help Americans through economic hardship, these programs have long been burdened by classist and racialized narratives.Her performance used music and comedy to make heavy topics accessible, but her message was clear: systems meant to help often come with strings attached, and the right to food remains unequal in the U.S.
More Than Food: A Political Act
As her show progressed, Wong outlined troubling trends in today’s food landscape:• Chemical overuse in food production• Genetically modified crops that limit farmers’ independence• A corporate-driven food system focused on profit, not healthIn her closing remarks, Wong emphasized that access to food — how it’s grown, prepared, and consumed — must be a right, not a luxury.
Everett, MA: A Local Food DesertWong’s message resonates strongly in Everett, which is classified as a food desert — an area where access to affordable, healthy food is severely limited.Rapid overdevelopment in Everett has reduced green spaces and ignored essential food infrastructure. Without local grocery stores, gardens, or reliable public transit, many residents — especially immigrants and low-income families — are left relying on food pantries or convenience stores with limited nutritional value.
Farming, Education, and the Call to Act
Wong called for urgent change. She urged policymakers and city leaders to:• Halt overdevelopment that eliminates growing space• Fund farming and food education programs• Protect the right to grow food and make it accessible to all• Recognize that food is not just sustenance — it’s culture, identity, and dignity
A Personal Reflection
As someone with deep Italian-Irish roots, where meals are a source of joy and connection, I’m reminded that the ability to grow, cook, and enjoy food is a form of freedom — one too many are denied.We welcome families fleeing war and hardship, yet offer them minimal space, opportunity, or time to grow and thrive. We cannot build healthy communities while ignoring the most basic human need: food.
A Final Word
As Kristina Wong so powerfully stated, “May those of us who can grow, cook, and speak up, support those who cannot — until we all can.”It’s time to see food as more than fuel. It’s culture. It’s power. It’s justice.
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