Achieving health equity through consumption of nutritious foods is essential to end hunger and advance the health and well-being of people of color, a population disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases. While there is a growing national momentum to understand the complex physiological, socioeconomic and environmental factors that perpetuate diet-related health disparities, effectively operationalizing these multi-faceted levers hinges on a shared commitment to address systemic barriers to affordable and accessible healthy foods. This program will draw on the expertise of a dynamic group of panelists in the arenas of medicine, nutrition, dietetics, public health and food systems to discuss the role of diet quality to close the gap in the incidence of diet-related diseases among people of color, with a focus on Black/African Americans. They will explore obstacles that hinder consumption of healthy eating patterns, and innovative strategies being activated to reduce diet-related disparities, among Black/African Americans. Panelists will also highlight how these efforts align with the National White House Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health and next steps that are critically needed – and that can be taken – to transform the health and wellness of Black/African Americans.