Tennessee State government turned down $75 million in federal funding meant to provide summer meals to children in need—and here in District 28, the silence from our state representative is deafening. This isn’t politics. It’s poverty. And our district is drowning in it—while the people elected to serve us sit idle.
District 28 is home to some of the most economically disadvantaged families in Tennessee, with 27.2 percent of residents living below the poverty line. Thousands of children rely on school meals as their main source of nutrition. When summer comes, so does hunger. The federal Summer EBT Program would have made a real difference providing critical nutritional support during the months when kids are most vulnerable. And while this unfolded, Rep. Yusef Hakeem said nothing. Fought for nothing.
The state’s replacement plan serves just 25,000 children statewide, cutting off support for over 670,000 kids who would’ve otherwise qualified. In a district where food deserts, housing instability, unemployment, and low access to healthcare already define daily life, this decision is a direct attack on survival.
This is the reality in District 28: 27.2 percent poverty rate, thousands of children are facing hunger this summer; no grocery store in walking distance for entire neighborhoods; and a state plan that ignores us—and a state representative who refuses to say a word.
When you don’t show up, don’t speak out, and don’t advocate, you are complicit in the harm. Our community deserves leadership that doesn’t just pose for photos—but shows up when policy decisions threaten our children’s health, development and futures.
We need a representative who understands that food is a social determinant of health. That poverty requires policy, not pity. And that silence in moments like this is not neutral—it’s betrayal.
To the people of District 28: you deserve better than quiet compliance. You deserve a leader who doesn’t wait for permission to fight—but demands justice on your behalf. We see the problem. We live with the problem. Now it’s time to change who’s willing to do something about it.
Demetrus Coonrod