November 3, 2025
Originally published in the Baltimore Sun.
Michael Bader, the faculty director of the 21st Century Cities Initiative at the Johns Hopkins University, said that economic inequality is highly racialized in Baltimore, given the city’s long history of segregation and redlining that led to several neighborhoods experiencing severe disinvestment.
A survey conducted by the 21st Century Cities Initiative found that 28% of those living in the Baltimore region reported experiencing food insecurity in 2024, with white residents being twice as likely to have a convenient grocery store nearby as Black residents.
“It’s not surprising that the areas that have experienced the most disinvestment are the ones that need SNAP the most, and are going to be the ones that are most affected if and when SNAP is curtailed,” said Bader.