In 1946, Tom Watson, Florida’s Attorney General, denounced the mandate requiring “just and equitable distribution” of federal funds among Black and white schools in the newly enacted National School Lunch Act. The National School Lunch Act was enacted in 1946 to provide nutritionally sound lunches to school children in families with low income on a permanent basis. Watson claimed that the program amounted to a “Federal dole” that constituted “meddling and state subserviency.” Watson was also known for his opposition not only to labor unions, but also to establishment of the Everglades National Park, and the landmark decision of Smith v. Allwright, in which the Supreme Court struck down the prohibition on African Americans voting in Texas Democratic Party primaries. To counter Watson’s opinion, Florida State Superintendent John English offered assurance to Floridians that, despite Watson’s opinion, federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) funds would go to Black and white schools alike.
Today, the NSLP provides free or reduced-price meals to school children from families with low income and has a proven track record of improving a child’s health, nutritional intake, school performance, and food security. As of March 2024, roughly 1.8 million children in Florida participate in the NSLP. However, Black children — who are more likely to be food insecure and live in poverty due to racism that affects the employment and earning opportunities of their parents — participate in the NSLP at greater rates than white children.