Have you or someone you know ever eaten free lunch at school? I can tell you that had it not been for free lunch from 1st grade to 12th I wouldn’t have survived. Well, you can thank the Black Panthers for that, right here in Oakland. In 1969 they started the Free Breakfast for Children program at the St. Augustine Episcopal Church. Predominately run by women the program eventually spread to more than 45 chapters across the US and fed over 10,000 children every day. The success of the Free Breakfast for Children program pressured the government to expand their own services (including here in California with a statewide program). Eventually in 1975 we ended up with a permanent federally funded national school breakfast program that was built off of the framework of the Black Panthers program. My family survived by these programs and I will forever be thankful. #blackpanther #freebreakfastprogram #blackfoodfridays #blacklivesmatter #blm https://www.instagram.com/p/CQT-2h-DZ5z/?utm_medium=tumblr
