Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, made his first official appearance as second gentleman in northeast Washington, DC, on Thursday to put a spotlight on “food insecurity,” a phenomenon taking place just miles away from the couple’s luxurious vice presidential residence.
Thank you @DOLDC and Kelly Miller Middle School for hosting me at the farm today to talk about food insecurity and efforts to expand access to nutritious food, create jobs, and build a more resilient community. pic.twitter.com/xOubMhPF5X
— Douglas Emhoff (@SecondGentleman) January 29, 2021
Emhoff visited Kelly Miller Middle School, which has a garden used to feed people in the neighborhood.
But while the visit focused on food insecurity, the message is part of broader messaging from the Biden administration and Democrats that fixing problems is directly connected to racial justice.
“Food security is a racial justice issue,” Christopher Bradshaw, who runs the small farm that serves a majority-black neighborhood, said.
People magazine reported on Emhoff’s visit:
Wearing a black face mask, coat, gloves and gray scarf, Emhoff, 56, spoke with staffers, asking how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed operations for the nonprofit Dreaming Out Loud, which runs the farm.
The group has worked with World Central Kitchen and DC Central Kitchen to launch “14 mobile feeding sites for individuals and families living in Wards 1, 7, and 8,” the White House told reporters, with Dreaming Out Loud helping distribute 300,000-plus meals.
Later during his tour on Thursday, Emhoff provided a window into how the work at The Farm might play into the issues he highlights during his wife’s time in office.
“What I found on the [campaign] trail, when I got to go around the rest of the country … the pandemic just made everything that was bad, worse,” Emhoff said. “Part of what I want to do in this role is figure out how I can help.”
“It’s got to be an issue for everybody,” Emhoff said. “So, I want to do what I can to amplify it. I think it’s something everyone needs to be concerned about.”
“We believe that we can utilize the food system as a way to drive economic recovery post-pandemic through food production, through the distribution of healthy food. … We also want to be able to shape public policy,” Bradshaw said.
According to the White House, Dreaming Out Loud “organizes community farmers markets where residents can purchase produce from local farmers using SNAP benefits.”
“This is just so amazing to see the passion, the way these folks are approaching it, coming to a school on a plot of land that hadn’t been used and actually grow food and serving the community that way and also to educate the community about what’s going on. … We’re in very good hands,” said Emhoff, whose day job used to be working as an entertainment lawyer.
Aside from his official White House duties, Emhoff is teaching a law course at Georgetown University Law Center.
The magazine reported, “Emhoff previously told People that, in his unprecedented role as second gentleman — a term officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary on Thursday — he has no plans to head up any ‘kitchen cabinet’ of advisers to his wife.”
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to pstarr@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.