Extreme Food Insecurity and the Rise of FAHNN:
A Community-Led Farmer's Market Story
November 2024
Watch the webinar with Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now! (FAHNN)'s Rhonda S. Vesey. She organized neighbors in the Valley/Southside of Syracuse, NY to create a grassroots farmers market in a food desert.
November 2024
Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now! (FAHNN) Learn about Rhonda S. Vesey’s story, and how she organized neighbors in the Valley/Southside of Syracuse, NY to create a grassroots farmers market with farm-fresh produce and local value added products in the midst of extreme food insecurity.
In 2018, the only full-service grocery store on the Valley/South Side of Syracuse, NY shut down, leaving residents without access to fresh foods. In 2020, a group of residents formed a community-led Farmers Market to bring affordable locally grown produce and value-added products to neighbors.
The Realities of refugee & Immigrant Farmers of Color:
AN ONLINE CONVERSATION WITH ANTHONY MUNENE
October 2024
Anthony was born in Kenya, and has been living in the United States for thirteen years now. He resides in the small town of Andover, New Hampshire where he owns and runs Two Mountain Farm.
Learn about the real life stories, the challenges and opportunities that refugee and Immigrant farmers face.
Land Access
How do you access farmland to grow your own food on a new land foreign territory with facing language, cultural and systemic barriers? and with no relationships or networks of your own?
Network Building
How do you open doors and pathways into communities that are not open to diversity and inclusion, and with no relationships or networks of your own?
Financing
How do you access financing with no credit history?
Climate
How do you prepare for climate impact and how do you protect your crops with little to no crop insurance protection?
Black History Walking Tour
September 2024
NESAWG is hosting a Rhode Island Black History Walking Tour in Providence and Bristol, RI, on Sept. 26 from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be leaving from and returning to the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Examine the crucial role that Rhode Island played in the slave trade and in the birth of today's institutional system. Learn about the resistance of a People, and the structural changes needed for racial equity, justice, land rematriation and food security.
To register, call one of the following Land Trust Alliance representatives and mention NESAWG.
This Black History Walking Tour is part of a larger conference - the 2024 Land Trust Alliance Rally. NESAWG is collaborating with the Land Trust Alliance.
NESAWG is also co-planning and co-hosting the Indigenous Land Conservation Summit, an indigenous-only affinity gathering for relationship building and knowledge sharing.
The summit will take place on Sept. 25, ahead of the wider conference. For more information or to join the waitlist, email king-cortes@lta.org.
Roundtable Conversation on Black & Brown Queerness in Agriculture
June 2024
Our conversation is spotlighting the experiences and perspectives of Farmers of Color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, exploring how their identities intersect with the intricate fabric of agriculture and the broader food system.
A roundtable conversation about Farmers of Color, Queerness, and the intersectionalities in Agriculture and the overall food system.
Our conversation with open audience participation will spotlight the experiences and perspectives of Farmers of Color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, exploring how their identities intersect with the intricate fabric of agriculture and the broader food system.
Through thoughtful dialogue and shared insights, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of the diverse voices shaping our agricultural landscape and the importance of inclusivity in building resilient and equitable food systems for All!
Master of Ceremonies
Derek Johnson (he/him)
Derek's journey from a business professional to an advocate for educational equity and social justice is a testament to his dedication to creating positive change. His academic pursuits and professional experiences reflect a deep commitment to education and community engagement.
As a black pansexual-queer man and having a background that spans continents and cultures, Derek brings a unique perspective to discussions on queerness and agriculture, highlighting the intersectionality of identity and the importance of inclusive practices in all sectors. His work with the District of Columbia Public Schools, Collective Liberation Lab, NESAWG’s Board of Directors and SPARK Teacher Education Institute showcases his proactive approach to addressing systemic and systematic issues, while his involvement in media via the podcast Eat. Puff. Love. and INDIGO Radio as well as community gardening illustrates his multifaceted approach to activism and outreach.
Derek's narrative is one of passion, purpose, and the power of embracing one's full identity to effect meaningful long-lasting change. You can reach Derek at derekrenejohnson@gmail.com.
Speakers
Oprah Jrenal (she/her)
Oprah has worked in higher education for over ten (10) years serving marginalized students and keeping their experiences at the center of her work. She earned her bachelors in Creative Writing with an emphasis in poetry from the University of Arizona and a masters in higher education from the University of Kansas. Oprah served as co-director for the Salus Center, Lansing's LGBTQIA2S+ community resource center in 2020 and currently serves as the Assistant Director for Michigan State University's Gender and Sexuality Campus Center.
Though Oprah was raised in Los Angeles, California, she calls Lansing, Michigan her home. Oprah enjoys singing Broadway musicals, laughing, watching horror movies, and manifesting new worlds. She invites you to ask big questions and seek the answers. We have always been whole. It is time.
Joshua “Josh” Allen was born and raised in Lake Charles, LA. Joshua received their Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in Agronomy from Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, May 2014. After graduation, Josh began their career with USDA as a Soil Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) in Hereford, TX and El Paso, TX in 2016 until transferring to Vermont as a Senior Soil conservationist in 2019.
While serving in this capacity, Josh collaborated with local tribal governments, landowners, and farmers to inform and edify public on NRCS programs, eligibility, and the application process to encourage increased program delivery. Additionally, he served as the LGBTQI+ SEPM with Texas and Vermont NRCS to improve overall customer, employee, and partner engagement.
Late 2022, Josh was hired as the Outreach Coordinator with NRCS Vermont where he has fortified relationships with existing partners, while forging new partnerships to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of the agency’s resources. Currently, Joshua serves as the national LGBTQI+ and Disability special emphasis program manager with the Civil Rights & EEO Division on the Title VII Team.
In their spare time, Josh loves long hikes with their dog Blu, swimming, cookouts, gymnastics workouts and building community! Additionally, Josh is a musician and plays guitar, piano, saxophone, in addition to singing, writing, and producing music.
Fallon Davis is a Non-binary Healer & Visionary, Afro-Native Vegan, Radical Educator, Sustainable Fashion Designer, Urban Farmer, and Creative Culture Worker devoted to enhancing and uplifting the lives of Black and Brown, and Queer individuals.
As an Anti-racist Organizer and Entrepreneur since they were a teenager, Fallon has cultivated a wealth of knowledge in the areas of Liberated Brave Space Creations, Transformational Mentorship for Racial & Gender Equity, Healing-Centered holistic care and Community Self-Sustainability, strengthening their work as a Community Advocate.
Kyana Ferro is an earth worker, beekeeper, community herbalist, and full spectrum birthworker born and raised on Nipmuc land where they currently reside. Kyana organizes and facilitates spaces for QTBIPOC to intentionally connect with the land to heal and grow awareness of their connection to nature.
Kyana is committed to building a future where black and indigenous communities have access to healing on the land in community and decentralized from the current oppressive systems.
They enjoy spending time by rivers and creeks with their puppy, bad reality tv, sitting by the fire with friends, baking & reading scifi (re-reading Octavia).
Under the Right to Food Summit, NESAWG co-led and continues to co-lead The Right to Food Working Group called "Indigenizing Land and Food Practices".
This 2nd annual summit is an opportunity for food justice advocates and practitioners from across the country to come together and share strategies and solutions for progressively realizing the right to food in the United States.
One of the main goals of the 2024 Summit is to amplify the systems and institutions that perpetuate food insecurity in high-poverty neighborhoods.
In addition, we will highlight solutions implemented by community organizers and residents working on the frontlines to break the pattern of child malnutrition, stymied life opportunity, and related cycle of children entering the school-to-prison pipeline.
NESAWG is collaborating with Slow Food Live to host the first ever Biodiversity Advocacy Day on May 22 in honor of the International Day for Biological Diversity.
Panelists, including policy advocates, farmers, and activists, will be focusing on how to protect, stimulate, and nourish biodiversity from coast to coast.
The panelists:
Bilal Sarwari, Slow Food USA
U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Cristina Cabrera, NESAWG
Denisa Livingston, Diné Community Advocacy Alliance
Marta Messa, Slow Food International
Marven Cantave, farmer and activist
Vanessa García Polanco, Young Farmers
We are also asking for people to contact their legislators about five federal bills that include support for local producers and the advancement of biodiversity, including the 2024 Farm Bill.
NESAWG is partnering with the Rhode Island Land Trust Council for the 2024 Rhode Island Land & Water Conservation Summit on March 9, 2024. The summit will focus on critical strategies to conserve landscapes and waterways.
As part of this partnership, NESAWG is leading workshops examining the steps in transitioning from a white-led organization to a BIPOC-led organization and how to engage with tribal nations and people of color in racial equity work.
NESAWG Track
Session A (10:35 – 11:45 AM) A1. The Ancestral Land of the Narragansett Nation: Stewardship Through Collaboration
This session will engage participants in:
Narragansett Brief History
Indian Country Protocol
Narragansett Land Stewardship
Land Rematriation and Potential Collaboration
This interactive presentation will conclude with a Question and Answer Session. Speaker:
Randy Noka, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Session B (1:15 – 2:25 PM) B1. Transitioning from a White-led Organization to a BIPOC-led Organization
This is an interactive share session showcasing steps and processes that organizations and groups have taken and are taking to transition from a white-led organization to a BIPOC-led organization. Speakers:
Cristina Cabrera, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Karen Spiller, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Session C (2:45 – 3:55 PM) C1. How to Engage with Tribal Nations and People of Color in Racial Equity Work
This panel will address how to engage Tribal Nations and People of Color in JEDI work (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) covering questions on Deep Democracy, Meaningful Participation, Decision-Making, Gate Keeping, Power Structures, Indian Country Protocol and more. Speakers:
Cristina Cabrera, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Bella Noka, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Marco McWilliams, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
Raffini, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) Track
In collaboration with the New Economy Coalition (NEC), NESAWG is joining the NEC Fundraising Working Group developing the Solidarity Economy Funding Library.
The library is a resource for people to find funding, investing, and fiscal sponsorship opportunities, as well as detail relationships between movement organizations and funders.
In the future, the Library will also be a tool of accountability—to put funders and other capital power-holders on notice by having a democratically-controlled utility that enables organizers to share detailed insights on their experiences with the funding ecosystem.
NESAWG is collaborating with Shareable to support The Library of Things Co-lab through a series of trainings that will be offered between Dec 2023-Feb 2024. The trainings will provide Popular Education tools for Community Organizing to help develop multiple mutual aid networks and projects.
The Library of Things Co-Lab operates as a resource-sharing hub that guides organizers through the process of incubating and strengthening Libraries of Things as a social practice for communities.
The Co-Lab also includes:
12 FREE weekly workshops running from Tuesday, March 5th to Tuesday, May 21st (Orientation: Feb. 27th)
A robust digital toolbox, educational resources, a peer support network, and facilitated project groups
