Soup and Cinema: Screening They’re Trying to Kill Us

What we eat is not just a matter of taste—it is a matter of life and death. And for too many in our communities, it’s a matter of justice long denied.

The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice (SDARJ) is proud to co-host a powerful Soup & Cinema evening alongside Rehoboth Beach VegFest, featuring the groundbreaking documentary They’re Trying to Kill Us, produced by NBA star Chris Paul and Billie Eilish.

This eye-opening film brings together influential voices including Ne-Yo, Tabitha Brown, Pinky Cole, and John Salley, alongside leading medical experts such as Dr. Ruby Lathon and Dr. Milton Mills—both of whom have spoken at Rehoboth Beach VegFest.

Together, they confront a truth that sits at the heart of SDARJ’s mission: the food system in America is not just broken—it is unequal. And that inequality is costing Black lives.

For too long, poor health outcomes in the Black community have been treated as inevitable—or worse, as personal failings. This film challenges that narrative head-on, exposing how food apartheid, targeted marketing of unhealthy products in Black neighborhoods, and systemic inequities rooted in our country’s history have driven disproportionate rates of chronic disease. This is racial injustice on our plates, in our grocery stores, and in our health outcomes.

Why This Conversation Matters: The Data

The disparities highlighted in this film are not abstract—they are measurable, urgent, and impacting lives every day. In the United States, Black Americans experience significantly higher rates of illness and death from diet-related diseases, including:

• Heart Disease – The leading cause of death; Black Americans are about 30% more likely to die from it than white Americans
• Stroke – Black adults are nearly twice as likely to suffer a first stroke
• Type 2 Diabetes – Black Americans are about 60% more likely to be diagnosed
• Hypertension – Affects nearly 55% of Black adults, among the highest rates in the world
• Obesity – Nearly 50% of Black adults are affected, increasing risk for multiple chronic conditions
• Chronic Kidney Disease – Black Americans are 3–4 times more likely to develop kidney failure
• Maternal Mortality – Black women are about 2.5 to 3 times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes
• Colorectal Cancer – Higher incidence and mortality rates compared to other groups
• Infant Mortality – Black infants die at more than twice the rate of white infants

These are not just statistics—they are families, communities, and futures at stake.

But the film also offers hope. It shows how plant-based nutrition, community knowledge, and informed choices can be powerful tools for reclaiming health and challenging the systems that have failed us. These are solutions that serve the Black community first and foremost—and extend to everyone committed to a healthier, more just future.

At SDARJ, we believe racial justice must address every arena where inequality takes hold—including what ends up on our tables. This evening is part of that work.

Join us for a warm bowl of soup, meaningful community connection, and a conversation that could change how we think about health, justice, and the path forward.

This is more than a film screening. It’s a call to awareness—and to action.

Be part of the solution. Be part of the conversation. 🍲