B.C. Dodge & R. Mordant Mahon chat with Reverend David Beckmann about ending hunger in this episode of “What a Relief!” — IRUSA’s official podcast.
This week, B.C. & Mordant welcome President of Bread for the World David Beckmann — not to be confused with soccer legend David Beckham. “He’s the sexy football player, I’m the aging clergyman,” he clarifies, earning himself the title of hippest reverend to visit the podcast to date.
Reverend Beckmann may not know how to bend the ball, but he works tirelessly to bend the law in favor of fighting hunger. Through his organization, described as an interdenominational Christian movement, he leads large-scare campaigns to urge congress to do their part to overcome hunger and poverty in the United States and worldwide.
He shares insightful findings about hunger, particularly addressing hesitations about hunger at home in America. “You don’t need to be in a developing nation,” he says. “The hunger we have here is not the same as in Bangladesh. Families run out of food before the end of the month.” When it comes to food insecurity in America, Beckmann finds it inexcusable. “It’s crazy,” he admits.
This episode provides an inside glimpse at what advocacy for ending hunger looks like. Beckmann explains the importance of legislation such as the Global Food Security Act, an effort to force congress to formally recognize and sustain work over the last decade to increase investments in agriculture and nutrition. “It means that the next president of the United States will be obliged to continue that work,” he says.
Beckmann also reflects on the importance of organizations like Bread for the World supporting the advocacy work that Islamic Relief USA does in today’s political climate. “Given the tensions in the world and the recent political anti-Muslim rhetoric, Islamic Relief is important as a demonstration that Islam is a powerful force for good in the world,” he says.
Tune in to learn about the cyclical nature of poverty in America, and how to combat the attitude that people are poor because they are lazy. Hear a personal account of a young man who escaped an inner hell, and what led him to say, “God is more powerful than heroin.”
This week, we take a deeper look at strategies to end hunger, and highlight what we are doing right.
“One thing that makes me really hopeful,” says Beckmann, “is that the world as a whole is making unprecedented progress against hunger, poverty, and disease. The number of people in the world who live in extreme poverty has dropped from 2 billion people in 1990 to about 1 billion people today.”
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“What a Relief!” is the official podcast of Islamic Relief USA. Co-hosted by social media specialist B.C. Dodge & Mordant Mahon, IRUSA’s “What a Relief!” puts a human face on what’s going on in the world and how you can enact positive change in it. New episodes every week!
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