Shifting Power, Cultivating Justice: National Farm to School Network Gathering
Wednesday, June 23 A racially just and equitable food system is possible – but it's going to take all of us to get us there.You're invited! Join National Farm to School Network on
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 for a virtual Community Gathering to dig into how
farm to school – the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings – can be part of the work to shift power and cultivate justice in our food system. Gain new tools and skills for shifting power in your work, learn from movement leaders who are building power through community food efforts, and connect with fellow food systems partners from across the country as we grow stronger together.
Join one or all of the sessions and invite your friends! Registration is free and open to all, no prior experience with farm to school needed. Learn more and register below or on our website at
www.farmtoschool.org/gathering. This gathering is inspired by National Farm to School Network's
Call to Action:
By 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. 1-2:30pm ET
Training Session: Shifting Power in the Food System To achieve a racially just food system, we must shift power to the communities and people who have been marginalized, exploited, and excluded from the current system. But what does shifting power mean, and what does it look like in practice? This interactive training session will offer strategies, tools, and approaches for shifting power in your thinking, organizational culture, and the day-in, day-out efforts of community food systems work. No matter your role, everyone eats, and everyone can contribute to shifting power in the food system. Come discover and share your place in the work of shifting power to cultivate a racially just food system.
Register for this session 3-4:30pm ET
Movement Leader Perspectives: Local and Values-Based Procurement from Farm to CafeteriaChild nutrition programs exercise collective purchasing power on a massive scale. Pre-pandemic, the National School Lunch Program alone invested $14.2 billion annually to serve 29.6 million lunches every school day. K-12 school meals, early care and education (ECE) nutrition, after-school snacks, and summer meals are an opportunity for every community to express their values through purchasing priorities and to shift power in the food system as a whole. On this panel, hear from food systems experts and organizers about their insights and experiences in how farm to cafeteria connections can shift power in communities. Panelists include:
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Jennifer Gaddis, associate professor of Civil Society and Community Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of
The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need Real Food and Real Jobs in American Public Schools >
Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director with
HEAL Food Alliance >
Chang Vue, Capacity Building Director with
Hmong American Farmers Association Register for this session 3-4:30pm ET
Movement Leader Perspectives: Farm to School Strategies for Building PowerFarm to school can be an effective strategy for shifting power and advancing racial equity in the food system when communities come together to implement practices that affirm cultural and community values and center the voices and desires of people who have been marginalized, exploited, and excluded from the current system. On this panel, hear from experienced farm to school and farm to ECE practitioners about how food and food education initiatives are building power in their communities. Panelists include:
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Fredando "Farmer Fredo" Jackson, farmer and Executive Director of
Flint River Fresh located in southwest Georgia
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Maya Marie, creator of
Deep Routes: An Afro-Indigenous Culinary Curriculum >
Alexis Harrison and
Junior Duplessis,
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Center for Healthy Neighborhoods > Moderated by
Sommer Sibilly-Brown, Founder and Executive Director of
Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition Register for this session 7-8pm ET
Film Screening & Discussion: Food Crossing LinesAdvocacy, community organizing, and stakeholder collaboration are key to making equitable food systems a reality. The farm stand at
Little Ones Learning Center in Clayton County, Georgia – where the child well-being index among the lowest of the metro Atlanta counties – is a prime example. In this mini-documentary screening, learn how the
Little Lions Farm Stand, housed at Little Ones Learning Center and supported by the
Hands, Heart, and Soul Project, overcame legal and regulatory obstacles to make sustainable and organic produce – grown onsite at the community garden and sourced from local farms – accessible to their community. After viewing the documentary, key stakeholders from the Little Lions Farm Stand will share their perspectives and answer questions. This is a great opportunity to learn how local organizing and a commitment to change can shift power and cultivate justice, one community food project at a time.
Register for this session
BONUS! The
first 70 people to register for this Film Screening & Discussion session will receive a FREE box of farm to school goodies! This box includes a
Small Bites Adventure Club Farm to Home Explorer Kit and special National Farm to School Network swag!
Help us spread the word! Forward this email to a friend, share on your social media feeds, and let us know you're coming by RSVP'ing on our
Facebook Event! Find more information about this virtual Community Gathering at
www.farmtoschool.org/gathering.Have questions? Email us at
calltoaction@farmtoschool.org.
This training event has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this training event do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 
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