Cinquan Umar Muhammad is a Community Outreach Coordinator with Dreaming Out Loud, where he helps connect D.C. communities to fresh food access, wellness resources, local farms, and economic opportunity. Rooted in food justice and community power, his work supports Dreaming Out Loud’s mission to build a more equitable food system. He is also the founder of Synergy Advocacy Group. After 30 years impacted by the justice system, Umar uses his lived experience to support reentry, youth mentorship, literacy, and efforts to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline alongside partners like Free Minds Book Club, DC Justice Lab, and Building Community NOT Prisons (BCNP).
GFI’s Darcy Cherlin sat down with Cinquan Umar Muhammad to discuss the intersection between food justice and the criminal justice system and his belief that long-term investment in communities is what it will take to overcome systemic inequities in Wards 7 and 8.
Can you talk about what you do in your community?
I care deeply about helping connect people to healthy foods, trusting resources, and opportunities to strengthen the overall well-being of the community.
A big part of my work is making sure people feel seen. A lot of people in Wards 7 and 8 really don't feel seen. And if they don't feel seen, then of course they don't feel heard and included in the community and the system that is supposed to serve them.
At Dreaming Out Loud, we do events in the community like bringing food or physicians so people can be heard. You’ve got to provide an opportunity for people to feel like they're part of a larger community where they see,“ I'm not the only one who needs help, others need help too,” without them having to feel like they're being judged or looked down upon.
I want to help build communities where people are not just getting by but truly have the chance to thrive.
I can tell you are extremely passionate about what you do. Why is this work so important to you?
This work matters to me because food and health are about so much more than meals or medical care. They are about dignity, quality of life, and justice. When communities have been historically overlooked or underinvested in, the impact shows up in people's health, stress levels, and daily opportunities. And this is really in Wards 7 and 8. I want to help build communities where people are not just getting by but truly have the chance to thrive.
Your work in criminal justice reform brings a unique perspective to the Community Advisory Board. Can you explain how food and criminal justice intersect?
I firmly believe that a lack of food access is the entry point to criminal activity. You take families that are torn apart by drug use or other issues, and those kids then become responsible for their families. The older sibling may say, "Okay, well I’ve got to feed my little sister, or I’ve got to feed my little brother.” So they go down to a 7-Eleven or corner store and put something in their pocket.
The first thing that they’re going to take is a Twix bar or something. I say Twix bar because I know most of my friends, that's how they started. It has two pieces in it. One for me and one for my brother or sister. That becomes the rational for stealing: "I'm feeding myself and I'm feeding my family." So as they get older they get involved in more crimes, what do they say? "I'm feeding myself and my family."
What I say is, build communities, not prisons.
In your view, what are the most important food or health challenges facing Wards 7 and 8?
Number one is access, number two, affordability, and number three, long-term investment in Wards 7 and 8 communities. Many residents still face barriers when it comes to finding healthy, fresh, and culturally relevant food close to home - and that last part is key. There is Mediterranean food, Peruvian food... different places that cater to their people. They come together, talk about home, the old country, if you will, laugh, have fun, play music and dance, while enjoying the food that they grew up with. They find community by going out to eat. That's something that most of us don't have. Because nobody really invested in soul food in Wards 7 and 8. There are some places but not a lot. Long-term investment is now in trash food like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King.
On the health side, I think we have to look at the bigger picture. Chronic illness, mental health needs, stress, trauma, and limited access to preventative care all play a role. But beyond that, health is also shaped by housing, income, safety, and whether people feel supported in their environment. So for me, the challenge is not just food and health care in isolation; it is all part of the broader systemic inequality that impacts people living in Wards 7 and 8.
I've heard you say many times that you strongly believe in the power of communities - can you share more about that?
I'm someone who believes deeply in the potential of our communities. Especially communities that have too often been underestimated. What I say is, "build communities, not prisons." I think that if we get back more into a community way of living, then a lot of people will have more resources to reach out to and won't have to engage in criminal activity.
If you could go to your neighbor's house next door because your mom doesn't have something and say,"I'm trying to make some grilled cheese, you have a few pieces of cheese or something?" And if the kid knows that neighbor, they say "of course I can get it from them." That's how it was when I was growing up. But now you see neighbors living directly next to each other and don't know each other at all.
Everybody functions in their own silos, but we function better together than we do apart. Through my lived experience of 30 years of incarceration and being a resident in Ward 8, I've seen what happens when people stop investing in communities. I've seen systemic inequalities that affect people everyday at every level. But I’ve also seen what happens when people have strength, resilience, fortitude, and wisdom. That all exists in those same communities. And it's just choosing to use it in the right way.