Topic: Uprooting Racism in the Food System: Seeding Sovereignty for Black and Brown Farmers

 

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Time: 3:30 pm Eastern Time (12:30 pm Pacific Time)

Webinar Link: https://zoom.us/j/316742630

Or Telephone:

    Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1-646-558-8656  or +1-669-900-6833

Canada: +1-647-558-0588

Mexico: +52 229 910 0061  or +52 554 161 4288

    Webinar ID: 316 742 630

    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/acLrYHrAN

 

Hosted by:  Bakari McClendon, NAFSN Leadership Circle

Welcome and Introductions

Gail P. Myers, Founder of Farms to Grow, Inc. and Chair, NAFSN Leadership Circle

Webinar Presenters

• Rich Pirog – Director, Center for Regional Food Systems, Michigan State University
• Kimberly N. Carr – Food Sovereignty and Racial Equity Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Center for Regional Food Systems, Michigan State University
• Leah Penniman – Soul Fire Farm(Rensselaer County, NY) and Author, Farming While Black

Moderator: 

• Kai Thomas – NAFSN Graduate Student Volunteer

No Registration is required.

Abstract

This webinar, “Uprooting Racism in the Food System: Seeding Sovereignty for Black and Brown Farmers,” seeks to expand perspectives and provide information on institutional and grassroots approaches to engaging socially disadvantaged groups in farming and food systems.

From the latest NAFSN Practitioners survey, Trends in the Food Systems Development Profession in North America: a Comparison of 2012 and 2019:

Key Findings of 2019 Results Compared to the 2012 Baseline

• Working with socially disadvantaged groups is now the #1 training need reported by professionals. Food hubs and value-adding strategies were tied for second in 2019.
• Racial and cultural divides and addressing the underlying causes of problems as opposed to symptoms of problems rose significantly as perceived challenges between 2012 and 2019.

Rich Pirog from Michigan State University (MSU), is speaking on current research and outreach in this area, specifically the upcoming seventh annual edition of the Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the US Food System.

Kim Carr, is an alumnae of Tuskegee University and Food Sovereignty and Racial Equity Post-Doctoral Research Associate at MSU studying race and the food system sharing the work of the National Racial Equity in the Food System workgroup, which is funded by Kellogg Foundation, https://www.canr.msu.edu/racial-equity-workgroup/.

Leah Penniman, the 2019 recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, is a Black Kreyol farmer who has been organizing for an anti-racist food system for over fifteen years, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, and author of Farming While Black.