Highlighting Our Food System's Black Leaders and Change Makers
February is Black History month. As we celebrated, we were reminded that we should lift up and celebrate the Black leaders and change makers who are transforming our food system, not just for the 28 short days in February, but each and every month.
Though we center and celebrate these Black voices in February, we must remember that this history is not an easy or pretty one. Our food system was built on the backs of people of color, and specifically on the stolen labor and knowledge of Black people. Black people and other people of color are still being exploited, having their land stolen from them, are not being given adequate resources, and are subject to many other inequities. This is, as always, a time to support our communities of color; amplify, honor, and listen to Black voices, celebrate their victories, resilience and successes (not just in times of trauma); offer time, resources and reparations; and to hold yourself accountable to take actionable steps to support Black liberation everyday.
NESAWG is fortunate enough to be part of such a rich network and have the wonderful opportunity to work with BIPOC organizations that are fighting towards critical change. We'd like to share a few highlights of NESAWG programming over the years that feature individuals and groups that have been doing the work to create a just and equitable food system and continue to build a sustainable food landscape for all of us.
Shirley Sherrod
Shirley Sherrod has spent more than 50 years seeking justice for Black farmers and continues that advocacy work today. During the 1960's Sherrod and her husband helped to form New Communities, Inc. The organization acquired 6,000 acres of land and became the first community land trust in the United States. There are more than 200 CLTs today!
In 2010, Sherrod was wrongfully fired from her appointed position as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the USDA. This powerful story of perseverance was the basis of her webinar for our Sankofa Series. Her story inspires us all to stay focused on justice, even when the storm is raging. She was also the keynote speaker at our 2015 It Takes A Region Conference.
Watch Shirley's Sankofa Series webinar!
To learn more about New Communities Inc. visit their website!
Eric Jackson
Eric Jackson is an organizer, educator, and filmmaker. He humbly serves as Servant-Director of Black Yield Institute, a Pan-African institution based in Baltimore, Maryland committed to movement building toward Black Land and Food Sovereignty.
The Black Yield Institute partnered with the Farm Alliance of Baltimore to share a Sankofa Series webinar about their 2021 report, Community Control of Land: The People's Demand for Land Reparations in Baltimore City. Jackson has also led multiple sessions at past NESAWG conferences where is has shared his documentary, Baltimore's Strange Fruit: A Story of Food Apartheid and the Struggle for Sovereignty, and expertise around land security and land reparations in Baltimore.
Watch Eric's ITAR21 session! Watch Eric's Sankofa Series webinar!
You can donate to the Black Yield Institute here!
Melanie Allen
Melanie Allen serves as the Program Director for the Black Farmer Fund (BFF). She is passionate about pushing forward efforts that create a future where black farmers and residents take control of local food systems, and have access to healthy, affordable and sustainable food.
She led a session at our 2021 ITAR Conference around the work they do at the Black Farmer Fund and how they achieve their goal of nurturing Black community wealth and health by investing in Black agricultural systems in the Northeast. BFF also partnered with NESAWG and other orgs on the Northeast BIPOC Farmer Relief Fund in 2020.
Watch Melanie's ITAR21 session!
You can donate to the Black Farmer Fund here!
Dr. Heber Brown III
Dr. Heber Brown III wears many hats. He is a community organizer, beginner farmer, social entrepreneur and founder of The Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN). BCFSN's goal is to co-create sustainable food systems across the country that are anchored by Black churches working in partnership with Black farmers and small business owners. Dr. Brown has demonstrated his commitment to advocacy for social justice on every level and he has deservedly been recognized as a leading change-maker of this time.
Dr. Brown has been part of the NESAWG family for many years! He served on NESAWG's advisory board from 2017-2021, has spoken on countless ITAR Conference panels, and most recently, he joined us for our Sankofa Series where he led an engaging session about the very essence of Sankofa- looking back and learning from our past history to inform our transformational work today.
Watch Heber's Sankofa Series webinar!
Donate to the Black Church Food Security Network here!
Brandy Brooks
Brandy Brooks does it all! Brandy's work over the past 15 years has focused on community organizing and power-building; community-based design and land use planning; and food justice and food sovereignty. She is Co-Director of the Political Healers Project, a national network led by womxn of color and committed to centering healing, collective, and creative leadership in movement organizing; founder of Radical Solutions LLC; and the Director of Strategy and Development at One Square World, providing coaching, consulting, facilitation, and training around racial equity and environmental justice to organizations across the country. She is currently running for Montgomery County Council At-Large.
Brooks has spoken on and facilitated multiple ITAR panels. Last February she was featured on our Sankofa Series and shared some powerful stories of trauma and ways we can heal from those experiences.
Watch Brandy's Sankofa Series webinar!
You can donate to Political Healers here!
We acknowledge that this only scratches the surface of the leaders we've had the honor of working with. You can watch our Sankofa Series webinars, check out our Youtube channel and read our blog to learn more from the amazing folks within the NESAWG network.