Breaking Bread, Bridging Divides: A Fireside Chat with Gov. David Beasley

By Hayley Zugaro

Global leader and former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley visited The Ohio State University’s campus to discuss his experience stabilizing global food systems and bridging stark political divides.  

In a Sept. 15 conversation moderated by Glenn College Associate Professor Amanda Girth, faculty director of Washington Programs, Beasley offered key insights and advice to students, faculty and staff. 

When introducing the topic of the discussion, Girth said, “It takes something Governor Beasley has done at the highest levels of global diplomacy, negotiating peace and food access with warlords and heads of state, and asks whether that same idea, breaking bread, can help us bridge divides here at home.” 

“We’re letting these extreme voices just dominate, and that’s just not America,” said Beasley. According to him, the simple act of sharing a meal is a solution for bringing people together. 

Beasley’s experience negotiating with world leaders and strengthening global security influenced his National Breaking Bread Initiative, which launched Aug. 27. 

Because of his unique positioning as a bipartisan leader, Beasley became executive director of the World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian organization. In this role, he argued to political leaders that combatting global hunger is not only a humanitarian duty but also an investment in protecting national and financial security. 

“Strategic effective aid is in the national security interest of the American people, and it saves us hundreds of billions of dollars a year when we do it right,” he said. 

His involvement with the United Nations and World Food Programme grew increasingly challenging as global conflict, COVID-19 and climate shocks disrupted supply chains. Despite these challenges, Beasley said he was fueled by the need to help every child he could. 

“When I’m out there, it might be in Syria, behind a war-rubble building outside of Deir ez-Zor, or it could be in Kandahar in Afghanistan. And a little 3- or 4- or 5-year-old girl will come from behind that war-rubble building and it’s like a flower in the desert. That little girl has a name. That little girl has a voice,” said Beasley. 

In 2020, Beasley accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the World Food Programme.  

“The Nobel Peace Prize elevated our voice in a way that was absolutely unimaginable,” said Beasley. “I knew I broke through when I had presidents and prime ministers using my talking points.”  

During their conversation, Girth connected Beasley’s mission to the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, which folds international food aid and agricultural trade into a national security framework. When asked if his work was reflected in this bill, Beasley said, “That’s what I spent years trying to explain and give clarity to— that food security is national security.”  

“I think leaders in the world began to understand, particularly when I received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the World Food Programme, the power of food, because you take it for granted at home,” said Beasley. 

Drawing from his varied experiences as a peacemaker, Beasley offered advice for students entering today’s deeply fractured political environment. 

Beasley took questions from the audience and ultimately gave recommendations on how to find common ground with others. 

“Show love,” he said. “It’s the most powerful weapon on Earth.” 

Hayley Zugaro is a student communications assistant at the Glenn College. She is double majoring in strategic communication and political science.