The Journey
2022 Global Citizen Prize Award winner Barbie Izquierdo is the founder of Community Driven Consulting LLC. She is an activist & spokesperson with lived expertise trailblazing in the movement to end food insecurity and to fight the exploitation of people of color who have been affected by public policy. She has worked for many non profit organizations such as the Coalition Against Hunger, The Food Trust and Hunger Free America. Barbie is an expert on food insecurity and other social justice issues, an advocate, organizer, and consultant providing technical support regarding the engagement and inclusion of people with living experiences. With a background of 14 years in this work, she has shared insight and story regarding poverty, included in the call-to-action documentary “A Place at the Table”. She has used her lived experience and advocacy journey as a catalyst for policy change, and her mission is to help uplift dignity and bring equity into the frameworks used by policymakers, non-profit organizations and government entities that decide the fate and “how-to” for low-income communities. Finally, Ms. Izquierdo takes pride in providing impactful public speaking driven by vulnerability, truth, and authenticity to empower and motivate thought leaders and organizations to action.
Sharing my story began in Philadelphia, PA when I was 21 year old. Witnesses to Hunger Started in Philadelphia in 2008, I was the first mother to join a research program offered to mothers across Philadelphia who were impacted by social justice issues to share their stories.
“Witnesses to Hunger is a research and advocacy project partnering with the real experts on hunger—mothers and caregivers of young children who have experienced hunger and poverty. Through their photographs and stories, Witnesses advocate for their own families and others and seek to create lasting changes on a local, state and national level. Learn more about Witnesses to Hunger’s history.”
“Witnesses to Hunger began in Philadelphia but spread across the nation, creating a diverse collection of sites, all working to bring a voice to those experiencing hunger and working for change. It is a project about the participation and action of those who know firsthand the experience of raising a child on a limited income engages each mother to speak on her own behalf in order to draw attention to the negative affects of household food insecurity and poverty on the health and well-being of young children.”
I was given a free camera by Dr. Mariana Chilton and was told to share my story through pictures. I did, and doing so brought me the opportunity to be featured in the documentary ” A Place at the Table. This documentary changed my life! I have had the opportunity to speak across the country, including The White House! I have had the honor to work with and alongside many amazing communities, advocates, celebrities, non-profits, places of worship and more. My mission now is to help others learn the power of their voice and to remind people from all backgrounds and income levels that WE DO MATTER! I want to eliminate the stigma regarding people who come from low-income neighborhoods to further my mission of helping others.
Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Barbie and her family experienced food insecurity firsthand. As a result, she has turned her experience into expertise with years of direct service experience, grassroots organizing, and providing consulting services to government and non-profit organizations. Barbie has dedicated the past 13 years to being an activist, organizer, and advocate and has found it to be her life’s calling.
About Barbie
Fighting to overcome poverty.
Advocating for change!
Miss Izquierdo was born into generational cycles of poverty and has battled to stop the cycle of poverty in her family. She struggled with food insecurity having lost her job during a recession. Barbie was often unable to buy enough food for her daughter, son, and herself. On many days, she skipped meals to make sure her children had something to eat. This ignited her passion for change, and desperation to take action!
Barbie is featured in the documentary “A Place at the Table” that urges a call to action to end hunger in America. She has been a keynote speaker at the White House and has been featured on BBC World News, CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, People Magazine, and much more. She has worked with Maria Shriver and many other prominent figures.
Barbie says “I feel like America has this huge stigma of how families are supposed to eat together at a table, but they don’t talk about what it takes to get you there or what’s there when you’re actually at the table”. She is “fighting for substantial changes to eradicate food insecurity so that her children and their children won’t have to choose between feeding themselves and paying a bill”. Barbie has used her circumstances as motivation to fight for others. She raises awareness by sharing her story and advocating for policy changes that are both dignified and equitable.”