Tony Hall on Fasting Interviewed by Kristina Onder

Would you choose to go 22 days without food? That’s what Tony Hall did in 1993 to raise awareness around hunger.

Ambassador Hall, who represented the Dayton region in Congress from 1979 until 2002, fasted for 22 days because Congress eliminated the U.S. Select Committee on Hunger, which he Chaired. At that time, the Committee was the only one dedicated to hunger.

“I wanted to quit Congress because of what they were doing,” Hall said. “I was outraged. But my wife suggested a fast.” Hall ate no solid food and drank only water during his fast.

“I lost 22 pounds in 22 days,” Hall said. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

Hall is quick to point out that it was not a hunger strike.  “I did it because I felt called to do it. I did it because of my faith,” Hall said. “When you fast and you pray, it seems to me that God leans a little bit closer to you. You’re saying, ‘I want your attention.’ And you do get His attention.”

Hall also received attention from the media and his constituents. He made a speech to  Chaminade Julienne High School in Dayton, and the students supported him completely, saying, “We are going to fast with you and so will our parents.”

In time, nearly 10,000 high schools joined Hall in his fast and supported him in prayer. Newspapers across the country picked up the story, and eventually, the World Bank called him and asked him to make a speech before the Secretary General of the U.N. and world leaders.

As a result, the World Bank committed $150 million to support Hall’s cause. At the outset, that fund provided $100 million, mostly used to lend money to women for farm animals or sewing machines so they can start their own business. Removing barriers to self-sufficiency is the key to the Hall Hunger Initiative, a Miami Valley organization founded by Hall in 2015.

“The fast gave me strength, it gave me renewal,” Hall said. “It was exciting. When you pray and you fast, those are two strongest disciplines according to Scripture. You get God’s attention.”

On Friday, April 4, at 5:30 pm,  Ambassador Hall, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, will speak on fasting, his latest visit to Ukraine, and blood diamonds at the Dayton Peace Museum, located at 10 North Ludlow Street in Dayton.

Ambassador Hall will invite the community to join him in a day-long fast. The World House Choir will perform, and the Miami Valley Peacemaker Prize will be awarded. The next day, at 5:00 pm Saturday, April 5, The University of Dayton Jazz Ensemble and the Olahana’s Polynesian Dance Troupe will perform to celebrate the end of the fast.

“This is a fast for peace and food justice,” Hall said. “People need help. We need to remind people that there are poor people who have to decide, ‘Am I going to eat, or am I going to take medicine?’ There are single mothers, who have children who have fainted on a Monday morning at school because they didn’t have anything to eat over the weekend.

“Now hunger is on the increase again,” Hall said. “Programs have been cut. It’s about faith and justice. It’s about doing the right thing.”

The Hall Hunger Initiative invites everyone in our community to join in a community fast to reflect on peace and food justice.