Everyone’s talking about “food justice” these days, but what is it – really? What are all the pieces at play? How do they all connect? And what are the best ways to plug in and take action?
Whether this conversation is new or familiar to you, we hope you’ll join us for Chewing on Food Justice, a break down of our broken down global food system.
After a successful run in the Bay Area, Pursue is thrilled to be bringing this dynamic series to NYC. Over the course of several programs this summer, and joined by our co-sponsor friends at Hazon, we will map out the many overlapping justice issues related to our global food system – from workers across the food chain fighting for a living wage to communities both at home and abroad struggling to combat hunger, food insecurity, and limited food access. Guided by the Jewish imperative to pursue justice and by the powerful notion of food sovereignty that fuels this interconnected global movement, we will examine and learn about efforts, both big and small, that are actively contributing to the development of a just, equitable, and sustainable food system for all.
Series Kick-Off: What on Earth is Food Justice?
On the heels of Shavuot – also known as the Festival of Reaping and the Day of First Fruits - join us to hear from one of NYC’s most accomplished food justice organizers, a woman who has dedicated her activist life to the pursuit of what she calls “food democracy.” She’ll help us connect the dots between local and global food justice issues and parse out the various elements, from labor to hunger to climate change. Together, we’ll “chew on” some of the bigger picture questions and set the stage for our subsequent programs in the series where we’ll have an opportunity to dig a little deeper. A light kosher meal will be served (certified by the Tav HaYosher).
About Nancy Romer
Nancy Romer is General Coordinator of the Brooklyn Food Coalition, a grassroots organization working on projects that promote food justice, food security, and a sustainable food system in Brooklyn. Nancy is also an active member of the Park Slope Food Coop and, through her involvement there, became the lead organizer of the Brooklyn Food Conference in May, 2009 – a historic gathering which brought together 3300 adults and 500 children over the course of a single day to unpack the myriad issues related to our food system. Nancy participated in the People’s World Summit on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights in Bolivia last spring and has a passion for connecting the dots between climate change and food democracy. She is Professor of Psychology at Brooklyn College, has her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, and is the Director of the BC Community Partnership serving Brooklyn teens from underserved high schools. From 2000-2009 she was an elected officer of the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing the 20,000 faculty and professional staff of CUNY and was the chair of their Peace and Justice Committee. She served as their representative to the national steering committees of US Labor Against the War and United for Peace and Justice. She is not a foodie but rather a food democracy organizer. She’ll explain what that means if you come and hear her on June 20th!
About the Series
Future programs in the series will include “Chewing on Food Justice: Got Access?” on hunger, food deserts, and food sovereignty (July 2011) and “Chewing on Food Justice: Fruits of Our Labor” on workers in the food chain (August 2011). We will also be partnering with the Brooklyn Bridge CSA to host a volunteer day in collaboration with the South Bronx CSA on July 31. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon!
This series is hosted by Pursue: Action for a Just World and co-sponsored by Hazon, Uri L’Tzedek, and the Brooklyn Bridge CSA.
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Sounds real interestng. Do you have a CSA in Manhattan? If so, I would definitely be interested.
Hi Naomi,
Thanks for your interest! There are many CSAs in Manhattan and you should definitely check them out. Hazon supports one at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (88th St), one at Ansche Hesed (100th St) and one at the 14th Street Y. You can learn more on their website about their national network (http://www.hazon.org/go.php?q=/food/CSA/communities/z_HazonCSA_Communities.html), Just Food also supports a growing network of NY-based CSAs, in all 5 boroughs – you can see a map here: http://www.justfood.org/csaloc. Pursue supports the Brooklyn Bridge CSA in particular but we are part of both the Hazon and the Just Food networks and we support the movement overall!
Audrey
Good to see that someone is connecting the two worlds of Fair Food or Food Justice – often we hear about lack of access to healthy, whole food for people who reside in food deserts. We know those are usually found in lower soci-economic neigborhoods where some businesses take advantage of the community by price gouging and selling processed foods. What isn’t often noted are the communities of farmworkers in the country who are not only abused and sometimes quite literally enslaved while picking our food, but who also exist without access to fairly priced, healthy food. It’s a full circle. For more insight into the world of the farmworker, I highly recommend Tomatoland as an excellent read. I also suggest a visit to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ website for more information.
Thanks, Ronni! Pursue is committed to integrating awareness about workers rights into our series. Our “Fruits of our Labor” program will take place in mid-August and will feature presenters from campaigns across the food chain (fields, factories, restaurants). We’re excited to have the conversation and raise awareness, both about the conditions that many of these workers face as well as about the struggles that they’re waging to bring an end to exploitation.
On a related note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point you towards the Community / Farmworker Alliance – a group in NYC (if that’s indeed where you live!) that is working in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. You can learn more at http://www.cfa-nyc.org. If you’re not in NYC but interested in doing solidarity work with the CIW, you can also check out http://www.sfalliance.org.
Hope to see you at tonight’s event.
Audrey