By: Pamela Honey
TFFJ Alumna Keiara K. Steps Up to Lead at Bronx Food Policy Rally
On April 24, TFFJ alumna Keiara K. stood at the Roberto Clemente Plaza in the Bronx, microphone in hand, MCing a food policy rally that brought together lawmakers, health professionals, and community advocates pushing for statewide food safety reform.
The rally brought together more than a dozen Bronx and citywide community groups calling on Albany to pass three bills aimed at limiting predatory marketing to young people and strengthening menu transparency in chain restaurants. Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Karines Reyes spoke alongside physicians, nurses, students, and organizers who have witnessed the health consequences of a food system that targets children with harmful marketing.
The Path to the Microphone
Keiara was invited to MC after an organizer heard her speak at a webinar hosted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) earlier this year. Keiara graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus in 2025, where she was a TFFJ Food Policy intern, studying legislative processes, examining how proposed bills affect communities, and practicing real advocacy. The program, made possible through a partnership with CSPI, trains students to move from learning to action.
As part of her internship, she testified at City Hall in support of Intro Bill 641, which sets nutrition standards for kids’ meals in restaurants. At the CSPI webinar in January, Keiara was the youngest voice in a room of researchers and policy experts, speaking clearly about how deceptive health claims make it harder for people to identify healthier options. You can read more about her participation in that webinar [here].
“Being a part of advocacy, I’ve seen a wide variety of ways food is being marketed, but most of them tend to follow this specific format, which is to prioritize more emotional and psychological aspects and overshadow nutrition,” she said.
Leading the Conversation
The April 24 rally pushed for three bills: the Sodium Warning Bill, the Sweet Truth Act, and the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act.
Keiara introduced each speaker and kept the program moving. Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera called for legislation that helps New Yorkers make informed decisions about their food. Assemblymember Karines Reyes, a nurse and chair of the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force, spoke about families left without tools to protect their own health. Other speakers included students, physicians, community organizers, and advocates. How a student at Hunter College, Keiara’s path from TFFJ student to Food Policy intern to webinar speaker to rally MC demonstrates what youth development looks like in practice.❦
Pamela Honey is the Communications & Content Coordinator at Teens for Food Justice.
